tibvaxy  of  'the  trheotygtcd  gmimvy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

«@» 

PRESENTED  BY 

Professor  P,  W,  Loetscher 

S5538 
.Y73 


56x~vtti*-&J*M~ 


CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

a  Jfresj)  Appraisement 


/    By 

Jesse  Bowman  Young,  D.D.,  Litt.D. 


NEW  YORK:  EATON   &  MAINS 
CINCINNATI:   JENNINGS  &  GRAHAM 


Copyright,  1910,  by 
EATON  &  MAINS 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PA<JE 

Prefatory 7 

I.  A  World-Wide  Appeal 13 

II.  Structural  Charms 21 

III.  An  Elaborated  Instance:  Philemon 31 

IV.  A  Manifold  Book 45 

V.  Literary  Traits 57 

VI.  The  Poetry  of  Scripture:  Its  Forms 73 

VII.  Hebrew  Poetry :  Mountain  and  Sea 87 

VIII.  Biographical  Attractions 101 

IX.  The  Grip  on  the  Conscience 115 

X.  The  Promises 127 

XL  Home  Life  in  the  Bible 141 

XII.  Biblical  Ideals:  God  and  Man 153 

XIII.  The  Appeal  to  the  Intellect 167 

XIV.  Credentials 183 

XV.  The  Supreme  Teacher 203 

XVI.  The  Great  Portrait 217 

XVII.  The  Book  of  Hope 233 

Index  of  Texts 253 

Index  of  Verses 255 


CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 


The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  restoring  the  soul : 

The  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple. 

The  precepts  of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart: 

The  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean,  enduring  forever : 

The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true,  and  righteous  altogether. 

More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine  gold, 

Sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  droppings  of  the  honeycomb. 

Moreover  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned: 

In  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward. 

— Psa.  19.  7-11. 


Blessed  Lord,  who  hast  caused  all  Holy  Scriptures  to  be 
written  for  our  learning,  grant  that  we  may  in  such  wise  hear 
them,  read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest  them,  that  by 
patience  and  comfort  of  thy  Holy  Word,  we  may  embrace 
and  ever  hold  fast  the  blessed  hope  of  everlasting  life,  which 
thou  hast  given  us  in  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 
— Collect  from  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


A   glory  gilds  the   sacred  page, 

Majestic  like  the  sun; 
It  gives  a  light  to  every  age — 

It  gives,  but  borrows  none. 

— William  Cowper. 


PREFATORY 

To  call  forth  in  fresh  array  the  beauties  of  the  Scrip- 
ture; to  illustrate  by  pertinent  citations  and  in  system- 
atic order  those  features  of  the  Book  which  invest  it 
with  perennial  attractiveness;  and  to  indicate  anew 
the  main  reasons  which  underlie  its  supremacy  in  the 
world — these  are  the  aims  of  this  volume. 

This  supremacy — considered  in  view  of  the  Bible's 
literary  qualities,  its  gradually  perfected  moral  stand- 
ards, its  world-wide  scope  and  message,  its  vitalizing 
religious  doctrines,  and  its  fadeless  portrait  of  the 
Perfect  Man;  and  especially  when  brought  into  com- 
parison with  the  status  and  claims  of  other  so-called 
sacred  books,  representing  various  pagan  faiths — 
gives  this  Book  a  place  which,  like  that  occupied  by 
the  sun  in  the  solar  system,  is  unique,  central,  com- 
manding. 

This  place  of  intellectual  and  moral  rulership  it 
holds  to-day  over  a  vaster  realm  than  ever  before — 
an  empire  which  enlarges  year  by  year,  and  thus 
steadily  increases  the  multitudes  in  many  lands  who 
are  able  to  say  with  one  of  the  poets  of  ancient  Israel, 
'Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet,  and  a  light  unto  Psa.  119.  105 
my  path." 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  hosts  of  people  who  de- 
liberately neglect  or  carelessly  ignore  the  Bible,  by 
reason  of  absorption  in  matters  pertaining  entirely  to 
this  life,  or  perhaps  on  account  of  an  agnostic,  worldly, 


8  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

or  religiously  indifferent  temper  of  mind;  while  there 
are  vast  numbers  of  professing  Christians  who  sel- 
dom read,  and  never  study,  the  Scriptures.  The 
knowledge  which  they  may  possess  with  regard  to 
the  Book  is  due  to  the  instructions  they  received  in 
early  life,  and  to  the  training  which  has  reached  them 
from  the  pulpit,  Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  as  worshipers 
in  the  sanctuary.  Living  in  the  midst  of  Christian 
privileges  and  opportunities  and  enswathed  in  a 
Christian  atmosphere,  many  people  absorb,  without 
conscious  effort,  from  their  environing  circumstances, 
biblical  ideals,  teachings,  and  principles  which  help 
to  keep  them  from  lapsing  into  heathenish  ignorance, 
stupidity,  and  demoralization. 

There  are,  moreover,  great  numbers  of  children  and 
young  people  growing  up  without  any  settled  habits  of 
Bible  study.  Their  needs  are  not  provided  for  ade- 
quately by  the  current  system  of  Sunday  school 
lessons,  which  at  the  very  best,  and  under  the  most 
skillful  body  of  trained  teachers  that  might  be  organ- 
ized, can  never  afford  any  student  of  the  Word  a 
coherent  and  symmetrical  acquaintance  with  the 
contents  of  the  Bible.  The  knowledge  our  teachers 
and  pupils  are  gaining  in  the  Sunday  school  of  to-day 
is  piecemeal,  scattered,  and  lamentably  incomplete. 
It  is  a  hopeful  sign  of  the  times  that  leaders  in  this 
work,  who  have  until  recently  been  blind  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  age  in  this  respect,  are  at  last  awakened 
to  the  needs  of  the  rising  generation,  and  have  planned 
an  improved  system  of  Bible  study  for  use  in  the  new 
century  upon  which  we  have  entered. 


PREFATORY  9 

In  view  of  these  facts  a  fresh  effort  to  bring  forth 
out  of  the  exhaustless  treasure  of  Scripture  "things  Matt.  13.52 
new  and  old";  to  suggest  and  unfold  some  of  the 
beautiful  qualities  which  lie  on  the  very  surface  of 
its  pages,  and  at  the  same  time  to  indicate  the  funda- 
mental charms  which  cannot  be  appreciated  except 
by  those  who  search  for  them  as  for  hid  treasures,  Prov.  2.  4 
but  which,  when  found,  are  fraught  with  unfading 
grace — may  not  be  amiss. 

The  charms  of  the  Bible,  as  many  know,  become  in- 
creasingly evident  as  one  reads  its  pages;  they  are 
inexhaustible;  like  the  mercies  of  the  Lord,  they  are 
fresh  every  morning  and  new  every  night;  they  make 
their  appeal  to  all  classes  of  minds;  and  while  some  of 
them  have  to  be  uncovered  and  brought  to  light  by 
patient  inquiry,  there  are  others  which  are  so  obvious, 
so  simple,  and  so  manifestly  beautiful  that  the  imma- 
ture and  the  untrained,  even,  may  by  a  little  attention 
find  them  in  profusion. 

The  man  who  has  eyes  and  who  keeps  them  in  use 
hardly  needs  a  guide  to  indicate  to  him  the  sun  shining 
in  the  heavens.  And  yet  many  are  blind  to  the 
beauties  of  the  day — to  the  splendor  of  the  dawn,  the 
glory  of  the  sunset,  the  sparkle  on  the  water,  and  the 
play  of  color  on  the  landscape  when 

"Dappled  o'er  with  s  hadows  flung  from  brooding  clouds." 

Only  by  the  aid  of  a  teacher  do  we  learn  to  unbraid 
a  ribbon  of  sunlight  through  a  prism  and  show  the 
rainbow-colored  threads,  and  the  lines  and  bands  on 
the  spectrum  which  indicate  the  substances  burning 


10  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

in  the  sun — or  to  apprehend  the  fact  that  there  are 
invisible  rays  in  the  light,  by  which  remarkable 
effects  are  wrought.  Even  if  a  friend  may  do  nothing 
more  than  suggest  a  new  standpoint  from  which  to 
get  the  best  impressions  of  a  river-view,  or  a  mountain, 
or  plain,  his  service  is  of  value.  Such  service,  perhaps, 
this  volume  may  render  in  relation  to  the  Book  whose 

Psa.  119. 130    entrance  bringeth  light — into  the  heart,  the  home, 
the  world. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized,  in  connection 
with  any  plan  for  Bible  study,  that  while  some  phases 
of  the  Book  are  easily  apprehended,  there  are  others 
which  require  the  best  service  of  the  scholarship  of 
the  world  to  discover  them  and  bring  them  within 
reach  of  the  ordinary  student.  Then,  too,  there  are 
enshrined  in  Scripture  countless  attractions  which 
can  be  discerned  and  enjoyed  only  by  those  who 
possess  the  enlightened  vision  of  discipleship.  We 
may,  therefore,  indeed  be  grateful  that  He  whose  last 
office  during  his  earthly  ministry  was  to  open  the 

Luke  24.  45      minds  of  his  followers  that  they  might  understand  the 

John  8. 12        Scriptures  is  still  the  Light  of  the  world.      He  has 
graciously  provided  a  Helper  of  whom  he  has  said: 

John  15. 26  "He  shall  bear  witness  of  me:  ...  He  shall  guide 
16.13,14  you  into  all  the  truth.  ...  He  shall  glorify  me:  for 
he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you." 
Thus  the  privilege  of  enlightenment  is  proffered  to 
all  who  are  in  loyal  and  loving  touch  with  the  Re- 
deemer. And  for  those  who  long  to  have  their  vision 
clarified,  so  as  to  understand  the  meaning,  discern 

Rom.  15.  4       the  beauty,  taste  the  sweetness,  and  enjoy  "the  com- 


PREFATORY  11 

fort  of  the  Scriptures,"  there  is  left  on  record  a  brief 
but  precious  petition,  uttered  by  the  unknown  author 
of  one  of  the  great  Psalms,  and  repeated  by  devout 
souls  in  every  generation  since  it  was  first  set  down: 

''Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold  won-  Psa.  119.  18 
drous  things  out  of  thy  law!" 

It  may  be  helpful  to  the  reader  to  indicate  here 
that  the  passages  of  Scripture  quoted  in  this  vol- 
ume to  illustrate  various  phases  of  biblical  truth  or 
usage  are  taken  in  part  from  the  Revised  Version,  of 
which  two  editions  have  been  in  use  by  the  author : 
(1)  that  of  1885;  and  (2)  the  one  printed  in  1898  for 
the  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  "with  the 
readings  and  renderings  preferred  by  the  American 
Revision  Companies  incorporated  in  the  text." 
Once  in  a  while  a  marginal  rendering  has  been  called 
into  play,  and  a  few  times  quotations  have  been  made 
from  the  great  metrical  version  of  Isaiah  by  Bishop 
Lowth,  or  from  the  similar  version  of  the  Minor 
Prophets  found  in  the  Cambridge  Paragraph  Bible. 
The  ordinary  version  has  been  used  when  its  render- 
ings seemed  to  express  the  truth  most  clearly. 

Jacksonville,  Florida. 


CHAPTER  I 
A  WORLD-WIDE  APPEAL 


13 


Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom, 

And  the  man  that  getteth  understanding. 

For  the  merchandise  of  it  is  better  than  the  merchandise  of 

silver, 
And  the  gain  thereof  than  fine  gold. 
She  is  more  precious  than  rubies : 
And  none  of  the  things  thou  canst  desire  are  to  be  compared 

unto  her. 
Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand; 
In  her  left  hand  are  riches  and  honor. 
Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness, 
And  all  her  paths  are  peace. 

— Prov.  3. 13-17. 

O  God,  whose  Word  lighteneth  the  eyes  of  the  blind; 
Vouchsafe  us,  we  beseech  thee,  the  light  of  thy  truth;  that 
fashioning  our  lives  with  all  meekness  to  the  obedience  of 
heavenly  wisdom,  we  may  by  humility  in  things  temporal 
attain  to  the  glory  of  the  things  eternal;  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.    Ainen. 

— Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


Thy  thoughts  are  here,  my  God, 

Expressed  in  words  divine, 
The  utterance  of  sacred  lips 

In  every  sacred  line. 
Across  the  ages  they 

Have  reached  us  from  afar; 
Than  the  bright  gold  more  golden  they, 

Purer  than  purest  star. 

— Horatius  Bonar. 


14 


CHAPTER  I 

A  WORLD-WIDE  APPEAL 

The  appeal  which  the  Bible  makes  is  not  limited  to 
any  single  generation  or  period  in  human  history. 
It  is  a  book  for  all  time,  and  for  all  times,  ancient, 
mediaeval,  modern,  and  for  the  ages  that  are  yet  to 
come.  The  majestic  declaration  of  the  Master, 
spoken  when  he  was  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief,  a  peasant  without  wealth  or  worldly 
power,  still  affords  warrant  of  divine  authority — 
"Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  Matt.  24.  35 
shall  not  pass  away."  The  songs  of  praise  that  com- 
forted ancient  Israel  in  their  days  of  exile,  for  example, 
gave  fortitude  to  the  Huguenots  when  they  were 
harassed  and  driven  by  their  foes  two  thousand  years 
after  the  Jewish  captivity;  and  still  later  ministered 
cheer  to  the  Pilgrim  fathers  of  the  American  Republic 
in  their  forlornest  days  of  toil  and  danger.  The  mes- 
sages of  the  Hebrew  prophets,  spoken  to  the  kings 
of  Judah  and  Israel,  are  found  in  our  own  time  rich 
in  admonitions,  instructions,  and  warnings  for  civic 
reformers,  political  rulers,  and  religious  leaders  in 
every  land.  The  Decalogue,  given  to  Moses,  under- 
lies the  structure  of  English  and  American  law  in  the 
twentieth  century,  and  we  can  hardly  imagine  a  civil- 
ization in  the  ages  to  come  which  would  undertake 
to  dispense  with  its  principles  and  sanctions.     This; 

15 


16  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

then,  is  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  Word — its  uni- 
versal message,  to  all  ages  and  generations. 

Nor  is  this  Book  confined  in  its  ministries  to  any 
one  race  or  language.  Written  entirely  by  Jewish 
authors,  and  originally  in  large  part  the  possession 
of  the  Hebrew  people  alone,  it  foreshadowed  from  the 
very  start  its  world-wide  scope  and  purpose  of  grace, 
indicating  that  in  the  promise  given  to  Abraham 
mercy  and  blessing  were  to  be  the  inheritance  in  due 
Gen.  12.  3  time  of  "all  the  families  of  the  earth."  The  language 
of  the  Old  Testament  is  Semitic,  and  its  imagery  is 
cast  in  an  Oriental  mold;  the  verbiage  and  symbols 
are  all  taken  from  the  habits  and  customs,  the  scenery 
and  the  life  of  Egypt,  and  Syria,  and  other  regions  of 
the  East;  and  yet  much  of  the  message,  apart  from 
its  transient  and  circumstantial  wrappings,  is  for  the 
world.  This  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  Bible, 
taken  as  a  whole,  that  its  books — written  chiefly  in 
Eastern  lands,  by  men  of  various  vocations  and  en- 
vironments, and  in  different  periods  of  time,  running 
through  more  than  a  thousand  years,  and  in  ancient 
tongues,  the  Chaldee,  the  Hebrew,  the  Greek — should 
in  later  generations  be  translated  into  hundreds  of 
versions,  covering  substantially  all  races  and  languages 
on  the  earth,  with  their  diversities  of  tradition, 
tribal  prejudices,  hereditary  traits,  idolatries,  super- 
stitions, cruelties  and  sins,  and  prove  to  be  adapted 
to  all  the  circumstances  and  needs,  the  heart-hunger 
and  sorrow  and  fears  of  humanity  everywhere,  of  all 
types,  colors,  and  conditions.  Is  not  this  a  marvel 
beyond  parallel,  that  a  book  once  wholly  Jewish, 


A  WORLD-WIDE  APPEAL  17 

written  by  Jews  for  their  own  people — Hebrew  his- 
tory, Hebrew  biographies,  Hebrew  folklore,  Hebrew 
prophecies,  Hebrew  hymns,  Hebrew  maxims  of  wis- 
dom— should  finally  prove,  with  its  New  Testament 
completion,  to  be  a  book  for  all  men,  in  all  time,  and 
in  all  lands  under  the  sun? 

This  Book,  however,  has  not  come  to  its  throne 
without  challenge  or  conflict;  nor  has  it  reached  its 
place  of  power  by  the  ministry  of  priestcraft,  or 
ecclesiastical  tyranny,  or  the  sword  of  the  warrior. 
In  every  age  its  claims  have  been  searched,  tested, 
denied,  and  sometimes  scoffed  at ;  but  it  has  made  its 
incessant  appeal  to  the  mind,  the  conscience,  the 
universal  heart  of  man,  in  such  pleadings  as  these : 

Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  Jehovah.  .  .  .  Isa.  1.  18 
Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good.  ...  If  any   l  Thess.  5.  21 
man  willeth  to  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of   the  teaching,   j0hn  7.  17 
whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  from  myself.  .  .  .  prov  2  3-5 
Yea,  if  thou  cry  after  discernment,  and  lift  up  thy  voice  for  4  13 

understanding;  if  thou  seek  her  as  silver,  and  search  for  her  ' 

as  for  hid  treasures;  then  shalt  thou  understand  the  fear  of   "sa" 
Jehovah,  and  find  the  knowledge  of  God.  .  .  .   Take    fast 
hold  of  instruction;  let  her  not  go:  keep  her;  for  she  is  thy 
life.  ...   I  thought  on  my  ways,  and  turned  my  feet  unto 
thy  testimonies. 

Responding  to  such  appeals  as  these,  the  Book  has 
commended  itself  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men 
in  all  ages  and  lands.  It  has  been  tested  in  every 
possible  way,  and  has  been  found  adequate  to  satisfy 
the  inquiries  and  longings  of  "every  tribe,  and  tongue,  Rev.  5.  9 
and  people,  and  nation"  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Childhood  everywhere  has  been  attracted  by  its 
stories  of  little  children,  such  as  that  of  Ishmael, 


18  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

cared  for  with  his  forlorn  mother  in  the  desert;  Moses, 
hidden  in  an  ark  of  bulrushes  by  the  river,  and 
watched  over  by  his  sister  Miriam,  and  thus  preserved 
for  an  unparalleled  career;  and  the  child  Samuel, 
beginning  at  a  tender  age  to  minister  in  the  sanctuary 
and  thus  opening  the  way  for  a  life  of  extraordinary 
devotion  and  usefulness  as  the  friend  of  the  sovereign 
and  the  guide  of  the  nation  and  one  of  Jehovah's  great 
prophets.  Youth  has  found  in  its  elements  of  ad- 
venture and  romance — such  as  the  achievements  of 
Gideon  and  of  Samson,  the  story  of  Ruth,  the  combat 
between  the  shepherd  boy  of  Bethlehem  and  the 
Philistine  champion,  and  kindred  narratives — mate- 
rial to  satisfy  its  cravings  for  scenes  of  courage,  peril, 
and  fortitude;  motherhood  has  been  ennobled  by  the 
gospel  of  the  infancy  of  our  Lord;  old  age  has  been 
strengthened  and  comforted  by  the  examples  fur- 
nished by  the  patriarchs,  by  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth, 
Simeon  and  the  aged  prophetess  Anna. 

Business  men  have  found  in  Proverbs  maxims  of 
prudence,  of  industry,  temperance,  frugality,  and 
worldly  wisdom,  surpassing  in  the  aggregate  all  that 
has  been  noted  of  this  character  in  the  literature  of 
the  nations.  The  great  composers — Handel,  Haydn, 
Mendelssohn,  Beethoven — achieved  their  most  ma- 
jestic and  monumental  works  when  they  treated 
themes  taken  from  the  Bible— 'The  Messiah,"  "The 
Creation/'  "Saint  Paul,"  "The  Mount  of  Olives,"  for 
example.  The  most  illustrious  mediaeval  painters — 
Raphael,  Rubens,  Murillo,  and  in  our  own  day  Hein- 
rich  Hoffmann,  Burne-Jones,  Tissot,  Holman  Hunt, 


A  WORLD-WIDE  APPEAL  19 

and  many  others — have  found  in  biblical  scenes  and 
characters  scope  for  their  utmost  powers;  indeed, 
they  have  invested  the  manger  and  the  cross  with 
new  glory  as  they  have  sought  to  portray  their  mes- 
sages to  the  world  on  canvas.  And,  in  brief,  where 
shall  we  stop  if  we  once  begin  to  mention  the  poets, 
like  Dante,  Milton,  and  Shakespeare,  and  in  the 
recent  century,  Tennyson,  Browning,  Longfellow, 
Whittier,  who  have  been  quickened  for  their  loftiest 
flights  by  lifelong  study  of  the  Word  and  constant 
treatment  of  scriptural  scenes?  The  list,  furthermore, 
of  great  scholars  who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  the 
mission  of  studying  the  evidences,  the  languages, 
and  the  contents  of  the  Bible,  or  to  the  task  of  ex- 
pounding its  teachings,  would  be  interminable,  were 
we  once  to  start  out  to  make  it. 

It  is  clear,  therefore — from  this  mere  glance  at  the 
varied  scope  of  the  Bible,  and  at  the  different  fields 
of  beauty  and  attractiveness  whereby  it  has  drawn  to 
itself  admiration,  confidence,  love,  from  countless 
hosts  of  readers  and  students — that  the  theme  before 
us  is  vast  to  the  point  of  exhaust lessness,  this  theme 
which  sets  before  us  the  charms  of  the  English  Bible. 

These  charms  cannot  be  compassed,  or  even  sug- 
gested by  way  of  enumeration,  by  any  one  writer. 
But,  since  the  Bible  is  to  each  generation — by  virtue 
of  the  progress  of  discovery  in  the  Orient,  the  finding 
of  ancient  manuscripts,  the  making  of  fresh  versions, 
and  the  constant  indication  of  timely  applications, 
modern  helps  and  illustrations — actually  a  new  book, 
one  more  effort  to  indicate  its  charms  may  not  be 


20  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

thrown  away.  Sometimes  a  single  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture has  required  the  insight  and  labor  of  generations 
of  expositors  to  develop  its  fullness  of  meaning; 
just  as  the  polishing  and  cutting  of  the  Kohinoor 
commanded  the  services  of  many  lapidaries  to  reveal 
all  its  facets  and  planes  of  lustrous  beauty.  This 
volume,  therefore,  may  find  a  helpful  and  appropriate 
place,  we  trust,  as  the  work  of  one  more  toiler  who 
would  aid  his  fellow  students  of  the  Word  to  inquire 
how  it  has  come  to  pass  that  the  Scripture  has  attracted 
so  many  sorts  of  minds,  in  so  many  different  ages, 
to  its  consideration.  What  is  there  in  this  book 
which  charms  the  fancy,  wins  homage  from  all  hearts, 
rewards  the  diligent  student,  instructs  the  ignorant, 
consoles  the  sorrowing,  renews  the  fountains  of  life 
at  their  source  and  origin,  and  holds  captive,  from 
age  to  age,  the  attention  of  the  world?  What  are 
some  of  the  chief  charms  of  the  Scripture? 


CHAPTER  II 
STRUCTURAL  CHARMS 


21 


A  word  fitly  spoken 

Is  like  apples  of  gold  in  network  of  silver. 

As  an  earring  of  gold,  and  an  ornament  of  fine  gold, 

So  is  a  wise  reprover  upon  an  obedient  ear. 

As  the  cold  of  snow  in  the  time  of  harvest, 

So  is  a  faithful  messenger  to  them  that  send  him; 

For  he  refresheth  the  soul  of  his  masters.  .  .  . 

As  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty  soul, 

So  is  good  news  from  a  far  country. 

My  heart  overfloweth  with  a  goodly  matter: 

I  speak  the  things  which  I  have  made  touching  the  king: 

My  tongue  is  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer. 

— Prov.  25.  11-13,  25;  Psa.  45. 1. 


God,  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son, 
Makes  his  eternal  counsels  known; 
Here  love  in  all  its  glory  shines, 
And  truth  is  drawn  in  fairest  lines. 

The  prisoner  here  may  break  his  chains; 
The  weary  rest  from  all  his  pains; 
The  captive  feel  his  bondage  cease; 
The  mourner  find  the  way  of  peace. 

Here  faith  reveals  to  mortal  eyes 
A  brighter  world  beyond  the  skies; 
Here  shines  the  light  which  guides  our  way 
From  earth  to  realms  of  endless  day. 

Oh,  grant  us  grace,  Almighty  Lord, 
To  see  thy  light,  to  know  thy  Word; 
Its  truths  with  meekness  to  receive, 
And  by  its  holy  precepts  live. 

— B,  Beddome. 


22 


CHAPTER  II 
STRUCTURAL  CHARMS 

One  of  the  beauties  of  the  Bible,  little  noted,  hardly 
known,  indeed,  to  hosts  of  people  who  are  supposed  to 
be  familiar  with  the  Book,  consists  in  its  structure — 
the  arrangement  of  its  books  in  the  order  in  which 
they  appear  in  our  version,  and  the  arrangement  of 
the  contents  of  each  book  when  examined  by  itself. 
In  this  view  at  the  very  first  glance  one  notes  a  very 
important  fact,  with  which  everybody  who  reads  at 
all  should  be  acquainted,  but  the  importance  and 
meaning  of  which  are  not  frequently  emphasized — 
namely,  that  this  volume  which  we  call  the  Bible  is 
really  a  library  of  sixty-six  volumes.  Nearly  all  of 
these  volumes  may  be  procured  in  separate  form, 
each  bound  by  itself,  and  when  thus  arrayed  before 
the  eye  the  fact  thus  instanced  becomes  impressive 
and  suggestive.  The  questions  at  once  arise,  What 
reason  is  there  for  binding  them  all  in  one  book? 
What  have  these  separate  volumes  in  common? 
What  tie  or  ties  of  unity  make  them  one?  Why  are 
they  arranged  in  the  order  in  which  we  find  them  in 
our  English  Scriptures? 

Directly  we  set  out  to  make  these  inquiries  we  find 
that  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  the  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment occur  in  another  order.  In  ancient  times  the 
Jewish  rabbins  distributed  the  books  into  three  sec- 

23 


24  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

tions— the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Holy  Writings. 
They  counted  First  and  Second  Samuel  as  but  one 
book;  and  so  they  did  with  First  and  Second  Kings, 
and  the  Books  of  Chronicles,  and  with  the  twelve 
Minor  Prophets.  Thus  they  made  out  but  twenty- 
four  books  in  the  Old  Testament,  whereas  we  have 
in  our  version,  by  a  different  allotment,  thirty-nine. 

Still  another  distribution  of  these  books  was  made 
in  the  Greek  Version,  known  as  the  Septuagint,  where 
we  find  them  grouped  under  the  heads,  the  Historical, 
the  Prophetic,  and  the  Poetic  books. 

It  is  not  worth  while  for  us  here  to  indicate  in 
detail  the  arrangement  of  the  books  as  thus  found  in 
the  ancient  versions.  One  who  is  interested  in  the 
matter  can  easily  find  in  a  good  Bible  dictionary,  or 
in  a  work  on  biblical  introduction,  all  the  information 
that  is  needed  in  the  case.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
will  amply  repay  us  to  give  attention  to  the  groups  of 
books  as  they  are  distributed  in  our  modern  Bibles. 

It  is  a  matter  of  course  that  every  reader  of  the 
Word  should  be  familiar  with  this  grouping.  The 
order  of  the  books  as  they  now  appear  in  our  Author- 
ized Version  should  be  indelibly  printed  on  the  mem- 
ory, so  that  reference  to  any  one  of  them  may  become 
an  immediate  and  automatic  process  of  the  mind 
and  hand.  When  this  general  arrangement,  or  struc- 
ture, of  the  Book  is  clearly  seen  there  is  added  to  it, 
as  we  have  already  suggested,  a  distinctive  attraction. 
At  the  risk,  therefore,  of  being  commonplace,  we  need 
to  give  just  here  a  summary  of  this  arrangement  of 
the  books  in  the  English  Bible. 


STRUCTURAL  CHARMS  25 


; 


1.  There  are  seventeen  Books  of  History,  to  begin 
with,  opening  with  Genesis,  and  reaching  to  and 
including  Esther.  Nearly  all  the  contents  of  these 
books  deal  with  the  annals  of  the  Hebrew  people, 
starting  with  the  call  of  Abraham,  in  the  twelfth  of 
Genesis,  and  coming  down  to  the  return  from  cap- 
tivity, a  record  of  about  fifteen  hundred  years  which 
brings  to  view  a  series  of  extraordinary  characters 
and  events,  all  strangely  linked  with  the  destinies  of 
the  human  race. 

2.  The  five  Poetical  Books — Job,  Psalms,  Proverbs, 
Ecclesiastes,  The  Song  of  Songs — which  are  next  in 
order,  do  not  contain  by  any  means  all  the  poetry  of 
the  Bible,  for  many  of  the  utterances  of  the  pro- 
phetic messengers  of  Judah  and  Israel  were  written 
in  poetic  form,  and  should  invariably  be  printed  so 
as  to  show  their  poetical  structure. 

3.  The  closing  section  of  the  Old  Testament,  opening 
with  Isaiah  and  closing  with  Malachi,  is  occupied  with 
seventeen  Books  of  the  Prophets,  who  form  a  body 
of  wise,  heroic,  matchless  men,  to  the  peculiar  func- 
tions of  whom  we  may  have  need  to  recur  hereafter. 

TWO  TESTAMENTS,  OR  COVENANTS 

Turning  now  to  take  a  cursory  glimpse  of  the  other 
chief  division  of  the  Bible,  it  is  evident  that  the  two 
Testaments,  or  Covenants,  are  thus  brought  into  the 
foreground  as  a  line  of  cleavage  in  the  structure 
of  the  whole  volume.  Those  who  have  not  stopped 
to  make  inquiry  as  to  this  distinction,  and  the  reason 
for  it,  will  find  it  helpful  to  give  heed  to  the  matter, 


26  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

for  in  this  division  is  involved  the  primary  significance 
of  the  whole  history  of  God's  revelation  to  man. 

The  literal  meaning  of  the  term  Testament — a 
document  attested  by  seals,  witnesses,  or  other  legal 
certification — or,  a  document  which  disposes  of  prop- 
erty by  the  will  of  a  testator — applies  to  the  use  of 
the  word  in  connection  with  the  Bible.  The  word 
Covenant,  however,  which  may  be  employed,  as  the 
Revised  Version  uses  it,  as  a  synonym  of  Testament, 
brings  out  the  fullest  measure  of  meaning  in  the  case, 
so  that  we  may  style  these  two  grand  divisions  of 
the  Bible  the  Old  Covenant  and  the  New  Covenant. 
The  former  is  the  record  of  Jehovah's  ancient  dealings 
with  the  Jewish  people,  and,  through  them,  with  the 
human  race,  whereby  he  bound  himself  with  a  solemn 
covenant,  or  series  of  covenants,  or  promises,  on 
certain  conditions  to  take  into  new  fellowship  with 
himself  all  who  revere  and  obey  him.  The  New 
Testament,  or  New  Covenant,  is  the  enlargement 
and  fulfillment  of  the  old  promises,  agreements,  or 
compacts,  in  which  the  privileges  and  blessings  of 
the  gospel  are  assured  to  mankind  through  the  work 
of  Jesus  Christ.  In  connection  with  this  use  of  the 
term  the  Master's  words,  spoken  in  the  institution  of 
Luke  22.  20  the  Lord's  Supper,  "This  cup  is  the  new  covenant 
in  my  blood,"  is  full  of  sacred  suggestions. 

In  the  New  Testament,  now  before  us,  we  find 
(1)  an  Historical  Section,  made  of  the  four  Gospels 
and  the  book  of  Acts;  (2)  the  Pauline  Epistles,  four- 
teen in  number,  in  which  the  anonymous  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews  is  included,  for  convenient  enumeration; 


STRUCTURAL  CHARMS  27 

(3)  the  seven  General  Epistles,  of  James,  Peter,  John, 
and  Jude;  and  (4)  a  Book  of  Prophecy — the  Revela- 
tion of  John. 

This  New  Testament  record,  covered  by  these 
books,  reaching  from  the  annunciation  to  Zacharias 
down  to  the  completion  of  the  last  book,  includes 
substantially  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era. 
When  we  take  a  broad  and  general  view  of  the  entire 
Bible  as  thus  set  before  us  in  outline,  and  get  a  com- 
prehensive idea  of  the  structure  and  range  of  the 
whole  Book,  its  majesty,  and  greatness,  and  terrific 
beauty  begin  to  break  upon  us.  The  Book  opens 
with  the  creation  of  the  universe,  and  closes  with  the 
day  of  judgment! 

The  Scriptures  are  thus  seen  to  comprehend,  in 
this  flashlight  glance  which  we  take  at  them,  as 
though  we  were  occupying  one  of  the  mountain  peaks 
of  eternity  for  our  viewpoint,  the  whole  story  of  time, 
from  its  beginning  to  its  tragic  close!  That  one  fea- 
ture of  the  Bible  stamps  it  with  a  glory  and  a  signifi- 
cance elsewhere  not  to  be  found.  In  this  respect 
this  Book  is  marked  off  from  all  other  books  in  the 
world.  This  bird's-eye  view  of  the  contents  of  the 
Scripture,  whereby  we  sweep  the  panoramic  field  of 
prophecy  and  history,  of  time  and  eternity,  with  a 
single  glance,  should  give  us  pause.  What  other  book 
was  ever  written  to  startle  the  imagination  and  trans- 
fix the  soul  with  a  sublime  vision  such  as  is  thus 
afforded? 

Fresh  attractions — to  take  another  step  in  the  task 
of  dealing  with  the  structure  of  the  Bible — will  be 


Gen. 

2. 

4 

5. 

1 

6. 

9 

10. 

1 

11. 

27 

25. 

12 

25. 

19 

36. 

1 

37. 

2 

28  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

revealed  when  we  undertake  to  analyze  and  outline 
the  contents  of  a  single  individual  portion  of  the  vol- 
ume, and  thus  proceed  to  study  the  Scriptures 
seriatim,  a  book  at  a  time.  To  read  the  Bible  from 
beginning  to  end  is  worth  while,  but  those  who  thus 
deal  with  Scripture,  without  noting  the  plan  and 
scope  of  each  book  in  turn,  miss  much  of  the  beauty 
enshrined  therein.  Sometimes  the  plan  of  an  individ- 
ual book  constitutes  one  of  its  essential  charms,  and 
when  that  plan  can  be  stated  in  a  single  sentence, 
lodged  in  the  memory,  and  used  from  time  to  time  in 
Bible  study  in  connection  with  that  particular  part 
of  Scripture,  there  is  added  a  new  delight  to  the  work. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  first  book  in  the  Bible  and 
note  how  easily  it  almost  opens  itself  for  analysis  to 
the  inquiring  reader.  The  Book  of  Beginnings  it  is, 
as  indicated  by  its  title,  Genesis.  For  close  analysis 
attention  should  be  given  to  a  phrase  which  is  re- 
peated at  the  beginning  of  a  new  section  again  and 
again;  as,  for  example: 

These  are  the  generations  of  the  heaven  and  of   the  earth. 

This  is  the  book  of  the  generations  of  Adam. 

These  are  the  generations  of  Noah. 

These  are  the  generations  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  Shem,  Ham, 
and  Japheth. 

These  are  the  generations  of  Terah    [father  of  Abraham], 

These  are  the  generations  of  Ishmael. 

These  are  the  generations  of  Isaac. 

These  are  the  generations  of  Esau. 

These  are  the  generations  of  Jacob. 


STRUCTURAL  CHARMS  29 

A  Bible  reader  by  simply  underscoring  these  pas- 
sages will  thereby  obtain  at  sight  a  helpful  outline  of 
the  book. 

A  briefer  plan,  substantially  correct,  and  easily 
held  in  mind,  is  that  which  allies  the  contents  of  the 
book  of  Genesis  with  the  six  chief  characters  men- 
tioned in  it — Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob, 
Joseph.  Accordingly,  the  contents  may  be  tabulated 
thus: 

THE   BOOK  OF  GENESIS 

(1)  Adam,  Creation  and  Fall:  Chapters  1  to  5. 

(2)  Noah,  the  Deluge  and  Dispersion:  Chapters  6  to  11. 

(3)  Abraham:  Chapters  12  to  25. 18. 

(4)  Isaac :  Chapters  25.  19  to  27.  46. 

(5)  Jacob:  Chapters  28  to  36. 

(6)  Joseph:  Chapters  37  to  50. 

A  simple  outline,  like  the  foregoing,  is  memorized 
without  difficulty,  and  thus  retained  is  of  singular 
service. 

Sometimes  an  outline  becomes  at  the  same  time  a 
description  of  the  book.  The  case  of  the  book  of 
Joshua  is  in  point.  It  has  twenty-four  chapters,  one 
half  of  them  being  devoted  to  the  subjugation,  and 
the  other  half  to  the  settlement,  of  the  Promised 
Land.  When  the  simple  phrase  thus  suggested, 
changed  slightly  in  form,  is  repeated  again  and  again, 
it  becomes  unforgettable,  and  the  book  takes  on  its 
rightful  significance  as  it  brings  before  the  mind, 
alliteratively  as  well  as  analytically,  "the  conquest 
and  colonization  of  Canaan.7 ' 

The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  may  be  easily  out- 
lined in  such  a  way  as  to  make  its  contents  stand  out 


30  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

in  clearness,  like  a  picture  before  the  eye.  The 
message  of  the  epistle,  which  was  written  to  show 
that  the  gospel  is  God's  final  and  perfect  revelation 
of  grace  to  the  world,  may  be  thus  summarized: 
Jesus  Christ  is  greater  than  the  prophets;  greater 
than  the  angels;  greater  than  Moses  and  Joshua; 
greater  than  Aaron  and  the  Jewish  priesthood;  he  is 
the  fulfillment  of  Hebrew  types  and  shadows,  and 
his  gospel  is  the  final  embodiment  of  divine  mercy. 
The  last  three  chapters  recall  great  examples  of  faith, 
and  urge  parting  counsels  and  practical  lessons.  This 
outline  can  be  amplified,  put  into  analytical  form, 
and  otherwise  clarified;  at  each  step  of  this  process 
the  student  will  find  new  beauties  in  the  epistle. 
When  after  due  study  the  contents  of  this  noble  por- 
tion of  the  New  Testament  are  fully  apprehended, 
they  become  a  precious  intellectual  and  religious 
inheritance  for  evermore. 

The  structural  charms  of  the  Bible,  thus  hinted  at 
in  the  foregoing  pages,  can  hardly  be  exhausted. 
Each  separate  book,  analyzed  and  outlined,  becomes 
a  distinctive  addition  to  one's  intellectual  possessions, 
and  each  one  thus  possessed  increases  the  evident 
attractions  of  the  Scriptures  as  a  whole. 


CHAPTER  III 

AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON 


31 


But  abide  thou  in  the  things  which  thou  hast  learned  and 
hast  been  assured  of,  knowing  of  whom  thou  hast  learned 
them;  and  that  from  a  babe  thou  hast  known  the  sacred 
writings  which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation 
through  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Every  scripture 
inspired  of  God  is  also  profitable  for  teaching,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,  for  instruction  which  is  in  righteousness: 
that  the  man  of  God  may  be  complete,  furnished  completely 
unto  every  good  work.  — 2  Tim.  3.  14-17. 


How  precious  is  the  Book  divine, 

By  inspiration  given! 
Bright  as  a  lamp  its  doctrines  shine, 

To  guide  our  souls  to  heaven. 

O'er  all  the  strait  and  narrow  way 

Its  radiant  beams  are  cast; 
A  light  whose  never-weary  ray 

Grows  brightest  at  the  last. 

It  sweetly  cheers  our  drooping  hearts 

In  this  dark  vale  of  tears; 
Life,  light,  and  joy  it  still  imparts, 

And  quells  our  rising  fears. 

This  lamp,  through  all  the  tedious  night 

Of  life,  shall  guide  our  way, 
Till  we  behold  the  clearer  light 

Of  an  eternal  day. 

— John  Fawcett. 


32 


CHAPTER  III 
AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON 

In  immediate  relation  with  the  attractions  of  the 
Bible  which,  as  we  have  just  been  suggesting,  are 
involved  in  its  structure,  an  instance  may  be  elabo- 
rated to  advantage.  By  this  specimen  it  may  be 
shown  that  unsuspected  beauties  are  sometimes 
lodged  in  the  setting  and  environment  of  a  book,  and 
that  there  are  parts  of  Scripture  which  may  seem  to 
have  at  first  blush  but  little  interest  or  value,  but 
which  when  viewed  in  connection  with  the  circum- 
stances which  gave  them  birth,  and  the  immediate 
aim  of  the  writer,  are  vested  at  once  with  a  vividness 
and  grace  never  to  be  forgotten.  This  principle  may 
be  illumined  as  well  as  instanced  in  the  shortest  epistle 
of  the  apostle  Paul,  a  production  which  has  but 
twenty-five  verses,  and  which — without  the  help  of 
the  sidelights  to  be  furnished  by  the  historian  who  is 
acquainted  with  Paul's  situation  and  purpose  in 
writing  this  brief  letter — seems  to  contain  but  little 
that  is  of  practical  or  edifying  import.  The  epistle, 
without  its  setting  and  framework,  shows  off  to  poor 
advantage — like  a  notable  painting  which  requires 
to  be  suitably  framed  and  hung  in  a  proper  light  in 
order  that  its  merits  may  be  duly  seen. 

To  this  short  letter,  then,  let  us  give  attention, 
drawing  upon  the  assured  historic  data  connected 

33 


34  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

with  PauPs  later  career  in  order  to  secure  the  side- 
lights for  its  illumination. 

The  apostle's  opening  words — "Paul,  a  prisoner  of 
Christ  Jesus" — taken  along  with  similar  allusions  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  tell  us  that  the  produc- 
tion was  written  when  the  writer  was  in  captivity  in 
Rome.  It  belongs  with  the  Epistles  of  the  Imprison- 
ment, which  include  Colossians,  Philippians,  Ephe- 
sians,  and  Second  Timothy — a  notable  category. 
This  fact  alone  is  significant.  The  apostle  spent  at 
least  five  years  in  captivity — in  Csesarea,  in  the  hands 
of  soldiers  during  the  long  and  disastrous  voyage 
and  journey  to  Rome,  and  then  in  the  Imperial  City  for 
two  years  or  more.  To  all  human  seeming  his  use- 
fulness was  at  an  end.  The  little  struggling  Church, 
scattered  here  and  there  throughout  Asia  Minor  and 
Greece,  must  have  been  smitten  with  dismay  for  the 
time  being  when  they  learned  that  their  chief  apostle 
and  guide  was  a  prisoner.  And  to  the  apostle  him- 
self the  period  of  captivity  must  at  first  have  been  an 
inexplicable  calamity.  What  was  to  become  of  his 
work?  Who  would  instruct  the  converts?  Who 
would  direct  his  fellow  missionaries?  How  could  the 
"regions  beyond"  be  evangelized  if  he,  the  leader-in- 
chief,  was  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies  in  a  Roman 
prison?  Questions  like  these  must  have  taxed  and 
almost  distracted  him  until  he  learned  in  whatsoever 
state  he  was  therein  to  be  content ;  until  he  found 
out  that  the  afflictive  and  dreadful  things  that  had 
happened  to  him — mob  violence,  shipwreck,  hard- 
ships of  many  sorts,  and  long  imprisonment — had 


AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON       35 

"f alien  out  rather  unto  the  progress  of    the  gos-  Phil.  1. 12 
pel." 

The  prison  ministry  of  the  apostle,  indeed,  fraught 
though  it  was  with  suffering  and  privation  and  peril, 
turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  most  fruitful  periods  of 
his  life.  He  wrote  from  prison,  as  we  have  already 
indicated,  some  of  his  most  important  epistles;  he 
directed  in  Rome — like  the  commander-in-chief  of  an 
army  from  his  headquarters  far  away  from  the  actual 
field  of  conflict — the  work  of  his  fellow  soldiers — 
Luke,  Mark,  Timothy,  Aristarchus,  Tychicus,  Epa- 
phras,  and  Onesimus,  among  others — sending  them 
out  into  the  city  of  Rome  and  into  other  fields,  and 
hearing  their  reports  when  they  returned  to  hold 
converse  with  him  in  his  prison  cell.  He  was  in  close 
touch  with  the  choicest  troops  in  the  Roman  army — 
the  Pretorian  Guard,  who  had  charge  of  the  prisoners 
held  for  trial  in  the  Mamertine  prison;  and  as  the 
guards  were  changed  several  times  a  day  the  apostle 
had  many  opportunities  for  conversation,  counsel, 
prayer  with  them.  It  thus  occurred  that  he  became 
known  in  the  palace  of  Nero,  and  his  work,  his  testi-  Phil.  1.  13 
mony,  and  his  example  exerted  a  strange  leavening 
and  quickening  power  among  the  soldiers  and  slaves 
who  helped  to  make  up  "the  household  of  Caesar," 
from  whom  greetings  are  sent  to  the  converts  at  Phil.  4.  22 
Philippi  in  a  notable  passage  in  the  great  epistle  sent 
to  that  body.  By  this  means  the  trophies  won  by 
Paul  during  his  imprisonment  grew  to  be  many,  and 
because  of  the  vital  relation  of  this  work  to  the  palace 
of  the  Caesars,  and  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the 


36  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Roman  soldiery,  this  part  of  his  career  is  of  large  im- 
port. Thus  the  situation  of  the  apostle  at  the  time 
when  he  wrote  the  short  Epistle  to  Philemon,  when 
graphically  set  forth,  serves  to  throw  light  on  the 
case  at  once. 

The  man  to  whom  this  letter  was  addressed  and 
sent,  Philemon,  was  a  citizen  of  Colossae,  in  Asia 
Minor,  who  had  been  converted,  years  before,  during 
Paul's  ministrations  in  that  region,  probably  during 
that  period  recorded  in  Acts,  chapter  nineteen,  in 
which  the  spread  of  the  gospel  from  Ephesus,  where 
the  apostle  had  his  home  for  the  time  being,  through 
all  the  surrounding  region,  including  Colossae,  is 
suggested.  This  man  became  a  disciple  of  Christ 
through  the  personal  influence  of  the  apostle,  and 
his  home  was  opened  to  the  ambassador  who  had 
brought  him  to  the  Redeemer.  The  converts  in  that 
city  made  this  home  their  place  of  resort,  fellowship, 
and  worship,  as  indicated  in  the  expression,  "the 
church  in  thy  house."  That  Philemon  was  a  man  of 
station,  of  wealth,  and  of  a  kindly,  generous,  and  hos- 
pitable character  is  clearly  made  out  when  all  the  facts 
are  put  together.  He  was  an  owner  of  slaves,  and 
concerning  one  of  them — Onesimus  by  name — 
this  Epistle  to  Philemon  was  written.  This  slave,  it 
seems,  had  run  away  from  his  owner,  after  having 
stolen  money,  or  in  some  other  way,  perhaps  by  em- 
bezzlement, had  proved  dishonest.  He  fled  to  Rome, 
and  there  sought  to  lose  himself  in  the  great  metrop- 
olis. After  he  had  been  there  for  some  weeks  or 
months,   sinking,   probably,   deeper  and  deeper  in 


AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON      37 

degradation,  he  was  brought  in  some  way,  not  clearly- 
indicated  in  the  story,  into  personal  contact  with 
the  imprisoned  apostle.  Exactly  how  this  occurred 
no  one  can  now  tell;  the  most  probable  solution  of 
the  case  is  the  supposition  that  the  runaway  slave 
after  committing  some  offense  in  Rome  was  arrested 
and  thrown  into  prison,  where  he  made  Paul's  ac- 
quaintance. We  are  not  stretching  the  probabilities 
of  the  situation  when  we  opine  that  he  was  an  inmate 
of  the  very  cell  where  Paul  was  incarcerated,  and 
that  he  was  thus  brought  into  the  closest  personal 
relationship  with  the  apostle.  The  sequel,  so  far 
as  concerns  Paul's  influence  over  this  wretched  crea- 
ture— an  outcast,  a  thief,  a  vagabond  on  the  face  of 
the  earth — might  be  easily  forecast.  The  circum- 
stances are  not  detailed,  but  the  great  fact  is  clearly 
given  in  Paul's  own  testimony:  this  runaway  slave 
became  one  of  the  trophies  of  Paul's  prison  ministry. 
He  was  converted  and  became  one  of  the  apostle's 
helpers  and  workers. 

We  may  picture  to  ourselves,  without  transgressing 
the  essential  facts  in  the  case,  the  situation  when 
this  ragged,  filthy,  and  abject  specimen  of  broken 
manhood,  Onesimus,  was  cast  into  the  cell  wrhere 
Paul  was  a  prisoner.  When  the  new  inmate  of  the 
prison  had  sobered  off  from  his  debauch,  and  had 
recovered  in  some  degree  his  right  mind,  the  apostle 
began  to  inquire  concerning  his  history.  The  man 
confessed  his  waywardness  and  faults  and  sins:  he  is 
a  runaway  slave ;  his  master  lives  in  Colossae,  Philemon 
by  name — at  which  Paul's  eyes  glisten  and  his  lip 


38  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

trembles.  That  is  a  familiar  name — that  is  a  well- 
known  city:  had  this  man,  this  poor  slave,  lived  in 
the  home  where  he,  the  apostle,  in  former  days  had 
been  a  welcome  guest?  Further  inquiry  showed  that 
this  was  even  so.  Here  was  the  starting  point  for 
Paul's  instructions,  warnings,  and  compassionate 
appeals  to  the  outcast,  thus  strangely  brought  into 
fellowship  with  him  in  prison.  The  slave  had  learned 
that  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard;  he  had  ex- 
perienced the  pains  and  penalties  of  his  wicked 
career;  and  he  was  seemingly  ready  to  accept  the 
offer  of  pardon  and  renewal  which  in  the  gospel  pro- 
claimed by  Paul  was  freely  made.  There  in  the 
Mamertine  prison  the  man  was  converted;  he  devel- 
oped gifts  and  graces  quickly  under  Paul's  encourag- 
ing words  and  gracious  example;  when  his  time  of 
imprisonment  was  up  he  joined  himself  to  the  com- 
pany of  Paul's  fellow  workers  in  the  city,  and  for  a 
time  served  as  an  evangelist  and  messenger. 
Meanwhile  two  epistles  were  to  be  written,  to  the 
Eph.  6.  21,  22  churches  at  Ephesus  and  at  Colossae  respectively,  and 
Col.  4.  7-9  to  this  task  Paul  devoted  himself.  Tychicus,  for  a 
long  time  a  companion  and  helper  of  the  apostle,  was 
commissioned  to  bear  the  letters  to  their  destinations, 
as  he  was  a  native  of  that  region.  In  connection 
with  this  prospective  errand  into  Asia  Minor  a  ques- 
tion arose  in  the  apostle's  mind  concerning  Onesimus, 
and  the  conclusion  was  speedily  reached  that  the 
slave  must  return  to  his  master.  It  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  man  himself  had  some  questions  to 
put  in  connection  with  this  decision:    "Am  I  still  a 


AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON       39 

slave  of  Philemon?  Are  we  now  not  brothers  in 
Christ?  Does  this  new  religion  allow  a  man  to  be 
held  in  bondage?  Have  I  no  new  rights  and  privi- 
leges, now  that  I  have  given  my  heart  and  life  to  the 
Redeemer?  What  will  my  master  do  with  me  when 
I  return?  How  can  I  repay  him  the  money  that  I 
stole  from  him?  What  punishment  will  I  meet  when 
I  face  him?"  Some  of  these  questions  Paul  could 
answer  offhand;  others  have  only  recently  been 
solved,  in  part  by  the  gradual  growth  of  the  concep- 
tion of  manhood,  in  part  by  the  new  vision  of  per- 
sonal liberty  afforded  to  the  world  in  our  own  times, 
and  in  part  by  the  dread  arbitrament  of  the  sword.  It 
is  clear,  at  any  rate,  that  Paul  deemed  it  his  duty  to  re- 
turn this  runaway  slave,  now  a  converted  man  and  a 
brother  in  Christ,  to  his  master,  Philemon,  at  Colossae. 

It  requires  no  stretch  of  fancy  to  see  the  apostle 
and  this  converted  slave  conversing  in  regard  to  the 
new  relationships  made  possible  in  the  gospel  between 
the  master  and  his  bondservants,  under  the  Roman 
law,  and  if  we  listen  closely  we  can  almost  hear  Paul 
say  to  his  companion  and  helper  something  like  this: 

"Brother  Onesimus,  you  must  return  to  your  mas- 
ter, to  Philemon,  my  friend  and  brother.  I  do  not 
know  how  he  will  receive  you,  nor  can  I  tell  in  ad- 
vance what  he  will  do  in  your  case.  But  Tychicus 
is  going  to  Colossae  with  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians 
which  I  have  just  written,  and  in  it  I  have  made 
personal  reference  to  him  and  you,  so  that  our  dis- 
ciples in  that  city  will  know  that  I  have  confidence 
in  you.     This  is  what  I  have  said: 


40  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Col.  4.  7-9.  "All  my  affairs  shall  Tychicus  make  known  unto  you,  the 

beloved  brother  and  faithful  minister  and  fellow  servant  in 
the  Lord :  whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for  this  very  purpose, 
that  ye  may  know  our  estate,  and  that  he  may  comfort  your 
hearts;  together  with  Onesimus,  the  faithful  and  beloved 
brother,  who  is  one  of  you.  They  shall  make  known  unto 
you  all  things  that  are  done  here. 

"And  now  in  addition  I  have  written  to  your  mas- 
ter, Philemon,  a  letter  which  you  are  to  take  to  him. 
You  are  to  give  it  into  his  hands  yourself.  Read  it 
over  before  you  go,  and  you  will  understand  what 
sort  of  an  appeal  I  have  made  to  him.  And  to  you, 
before  you  go,  I  want  to  say  only  this  further  word. 
Trust  yourself  to  the  brotherly  kindness  of  your 
master,  but  remember  that  under  the  laws  of  the 
Roman  empire  you  are  his  servant,  and  he  must 
determine  what  is  to  be  your  new  relationship.  I 
have  gone  as  far  as  I  can  with  tact  and  sympathy  to 
suggest  what  perhaps  he  might  do,  but  I  can  go  no 
further.  Make  no  complaint;  keep  up  your  courage; 
accept  whatever  comes  to  you  in  the  spirit  of  forti- 
tude; and  whatever  your  lot  and  labor  may  be,  act 
as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.  Good-by;  you  have 
been  a  help  and  a  comfort  to  me  in  my  imprisonment. 
I  have  indicated  to  your  master  that  when  I  am  by 
and  by  set  free  I  hope  to  make  a  visit  to  him  in  Colossae; 
in  that  case  we  may  meet  again;  if  not  there  I  shall 
meet  you  one  of  these  days  in  the  city  that  hath 
foundations.    God  bless  you!" 

In  that  final  interview  between  Paul  and  Onesimus 
something  like  the  foregoing  conversation  must  have 
taken  place,  and  at  least  the  substance  of  it  must 


AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON      41 

have  been  spoken  to  the  man  thus  returned  to  his 
master  in  Colossae. 

Now  we  are  ready  to  read  and  apprehend  this 
Epistle  to  Philemon.  Paraphrased,  and  put  into 
modern  English,  the  letter  substantially  would  read 
as  follows: 

Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ  in  Rome,  to  Philemon, 
our  beloved  fellow  worker:  I  have  heard  again  and  again 
of  your  kindness  and  hospitality  through  these  years  since 
I  was  at  your  house.  The  news  has  comforted  and  cheered 
me  many  times,  and  when  I  pray  I  have  you  and  your  needs 
in  mind.     May  God  give  you  grace  and  peace! 

I  write  this  letter,  not  to  command  from  you  a  service, 
but  to  give  you  the  chance  to  do  a  good  turn  of  your  own 
accord.  I  write  to  beseech  you  in  behalf  of  Onesimus,  your 
slave,  who  has  been  converted  under  my  influence  here  in 
Rome,  and  who — once  unprofitable  to  you — now  returns  to 
you,  your  servant,  but  much  more,  a  brother  man  and  a 
brother  in  Christ — and  who  bears  this  letter  from  me  to  you. 
He  has  been  so  helpful  to  me  that  I  greatly  desired  to  retain 
him  here  as  my  fellow  worker — it  almost  tears  my  heart  out 
to  send  him  away;  but  I  did  not  dare  to  keep  him  here  with- 
out your  consent,  and  so  he  goes  back  to  you.  Perhaps  he 
was  allowed  to  go  from  you  for  a  while  so  that   you  might 

fet  him  back  a  converted  man,  a  brother  beloved.  Receive 
im  as  you  would  receive  me,  should  I  be  able  to  come. 
Indeed,  I  expect  to  be  your  guest  when  I  get  out  of  prison; 
have  a  room  ready  for  me  when  I  come! 

Note  this — I  write  it  down  with  my  own  hand :  If  Onesi- 
mus owes  you  anything,  charge  it  to  me.  I  will  pay  it  every 
penny.  I  say  this,  even  though  I  might  perhaps  remind  you 
that  you  owe  me  your  own  salvation.  Think  this  over,  and 
do  whatever  the  Lord  prompts  you  to  do  in  the  case  of  this 
dear  brother,  whom  I  now  return  to  you. 

I  have  such  confidence  in  your  generous  kindness  that  I 
believe  you  will  do  even  more  and  better  for  him  than  I  have 
dared  to  hint. 

My  fellow  workers  salute  you.     Grace  be  with  you.    Amen. 

Now,  with  this  preliminary  matter,  which  serves 
to  illumine  the  background  as  well  as  the  foreground 


42  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

of  this  singularly  interesting  and  touching  story,  let 
the  reader  turn  to  the  epistle  itself,  as  found  in  the 
Revised  Version,  and  read  it  over.  Rather,  for  the 
sake  of  convenience,  let  the  whole  epistle — for  it  is, 
as  we  now  know,  very  brief — be  here  reproduced,  so 
that  the  picture  and  its  frame  may  be  fittingly 
joined,  and  so  that,  illumined  by  these  sidelights, 
this  exquisitely  tactful,  gracious,  and  manly  letter 
of  Paul  to  Philemon  may  speak  for  itself — as  a  single 
illustration  of  the  beautiful  things  to  be  found  in  the 
Bible. 

THE  EPISTLE    OF  PAUL  TO   PHILEMON 

Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  Timothy  our  brother, 
to  Philemon  our  beloved  and  fellow  worker,  and  to  Apphia 
our  sister,  and  to  Archippus  our  fellow  soldier,  and  to  the 
church  in  thy  house :  Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I  thank  my  God  always,  making  mention  of  thee  in  my 
prayers,  hearing  of  thy  love,  and  of  the  faith  which  thou  hast 
toward  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  toward  all  the  saints;  that  the 
fellowship  of  thy  faith  may  become  effectual,  in  the  knowledge 
of  every  good  thing  which  is  in  you,  unto  Christ.  For  I  had 
much  joy  and  comfort  in  thy  love,  because  the  hearts  of  the 
saints  have  been  refreshed  through  thee,  brother. 

Wherefore,  though  I  have  all  boldness  in  Christ  to  enjoin 
thee  that  which  is  befitting,  yet  for  love's  sake  I  rather  be- 
seech, being  such  a  one  as  Paul,  the  aged,  and  now  a  prisoner 
also  of  Christ  Jesus:  I  beseech  thee  for  my  child,  whom  I 
have  begotten  in  my  bonds,  Onesimus,  who  was  aforetime 
unprofitable  to  thee,  but  now  is  profitable  to  thee  and  to  me : 
whom  I  have  sent  back  to  thee  in  his  own  person,  that  is, 
my  very  heart :  whom  I  would  fain  have  kept  with  me,  that 
in  thy  behalf  he  might  minister  unto  me  in  the  bonds  of  the 
gospel:  but  without  thy  mind  I  would  do  nothing;  that  thy 
goodness  should  not  be  as  of  necessity,  but  of  free  will.  For 
perhaps  he  was  therefore  parted  from  thee  for  a  season,  that 
thou  shouldest  have  him  for  ever ;  no  longer  as  a  servant,  but 
more  than  a  servant,  a  brother  beloved,  specially  to  me,  but 
how  much  rather  to  thee,  both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the  Lord. 


AN  ELABORATED  INSTANCE:  PHILEMON       43 

If  then  thou  countest  me  a  partner,  receive  him  as  myself. 
But  if  he  hath  wronged  thee  at  all,  or  oweth  thee  aught,  put 
that  to  mine  account;  I  Paul  write  it  with  mine  own  hand, 
I  will  repay  it:  that  I  say  not  unto  thee  how  that  thou 
owest  to  me  even  thine  own  self  besides.  Yea,  brother,  let 
me  have  joy  of  thee  in  the  Lord :  refresh  my  heart  in  Christ. 
Having  confidence  in  thine  obedience  I  write  unto  thee, 
knowing  that  thou  wilt  do  even  beyond  what  I  say.  But 
withal  prepare  me  also  a  lodging:  for  I  hope  that  through 
your  prayers  I  shall  be  granted  unto  you. 

Epaphras,  my  fellow  prisoner  in  Christ  Jesus,  saluteth 
thee;  and  so  do  Mark,  Aristarchus,  Demas,  Luke,  my  fellow 
workers. 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit. 
Amen. 


CHAPTER  IV 
A  MANIFOLD  BOOK 


45 


This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth, 
but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day  and  night,  that  thou 
mayest  observe  to  do  according  to  all  that  is  written  therein : 
for  then  thou  shalt  make  thy  way  prosperous,  and  then  thou 
shalt  have  good  success. 

—Josh.  1.  8. 

The  words  of  the  Lord  are  pure  words; 
As  silver  tried  in  a  furnace  of  earth, 
Purified  seven  times. 

— Psa.  12.  6. 

I  will  also  speak  of  thy  testimonies  before  kings, 
And  shall  not  be  put  to  shame. 

I  have  seen  an  end  of  all  perfection; 
But  thy  commandment  is  exceeding  broad. 

—Psa.  119.  46,  96. 

Lord,  thy  Word  abideth, 
And  our  footsteps  guideth; 
Who  its  truth  believeth, 
Light  and  joy  receiveth. 

When  our  foes  are  near  us, 
Then  thy  Word  doth  cheer  us; 
Word  of  consolation, 
Message  of  salvation. 

When  the  storms  are  o'er  us, 
And  dark  clouds  before  us, 
Then  its  light  directeth, 
And  our  way  protecteth. 

Word  of  mercy,  giving 
Succor  to  the  living; 
Word  of  life,  supplying 
Comfort  to  the  dying! 

Oh,  that  we,  discerning 
Its  most  holy  learning, 
Lord,  may  love  and  fear  thee, 
Evermore  be  near  thee! 

—Sir  H.  W.  Baker. 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  MANIFOLD  BOOK 

He  who  reads  the  Scriptures  as  if  they  were  all  on 
the  same  plane  of  beauty,  authority,  importance, 
and  edifying  ministry  thereby  misses  some  of  their 
chief  charms.  Even  the  laws  of  the  Word  are  not  all  of 
the  same  quality,  for  we  have  the  authority  of  the  Mas- 
ter himself  as  to  the  first  and  greatest  commandment,  Matt.  22.  34- 
and  the  second  which  is  like  unto  it ;  and  he  condemns  39 
severely  those  who  have  "left  undone  the  weightier      ***'  n\a  ,_ 

*  .  °  Z  lim. o.lb,17 

matters  of  the  law,  justice,  and  mercy,  and  faith." 
Saint  Paul  indicates  four  functions  of  Scripture  in- 
spired of  God,  but  he  surely  did  not  mean  that  every 
verse,  paragraph,  or  chapter  of  the  whole  volume  is 
charged  with  all  these  properties.  The  good  sense 
of  most  students  of  the  Bible  leads  them  in  the  exer- 
cise of  a  sober  discriminating  faculty  to  discern  the 
fact  that  the  Bible  is  a  manifold  book,  that  its  con- 
tents are  of  various  values,  and  that  this  manifold- 
ness  contributes  greatly  to  its  charms.  The  volume 
would  lose  some  of  its  attractiveness,  to  say  nothing 
of  its  edifying  helpfulness,  were  it  all  on  the  same 
grade  of  quality.  All  kinds  of  fanaticism  and  folly 
have  arisen  from  neglect  of  the  truth  that  the  Bible 
is  a  book  of  diversities,  its  different  parts  having 
different  qualities  and  grades  of  importance.     It  has 

taken  the  world  a  long  time  to  find  out  what  should 

47 


48  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

have  been  perceived  from  the  start — that  the  Bible 
does  not  run  along  on  a  dead  level  of  monotonous 
utterance  and  teaching,  all  of  them  equally  interesting, 
notable,  and  important.  Once  quotations  were  made 
almost  at  random  from  all  parts  of  Scripture  in  ser- 
mons and  in  doctrinal  discussions,  and  in  the  task  of 
building  up  systems  of  theology — it  being  deemed 
sufficient  for  the  purpose  in  hand  to  be  able  to  cite 
the  chapter  and  verse  where  "the  Bible  says  so." 
That  method  of  Bible  study  and  Bible  teaching,  hap- 
pily for  all  of  us,  is  coming  to  an  end.  Intelligent 
people  have  come  to  see  that  other  phases  of  the  case 
must  be  inquired  into  now  in  order  to  determine  the 
meaning  and  validity  of  the  sayings  of  the  Word, 
such  as:  "Where  does  the  Bible  say  this?  Who  is 
represented  as  saying  it?  Under  what  circumstances 
was  it  said,  and  for  what  intent?  How  was  it  at  first 
understood?  Is  it  plain  prose  or  is  it  a  figure  of 
speech?  Is  it  the  moody,  skeptical,  pessimistic  plaint 
of  a  man  who  finds,  as  does  the  writer  of  Ecclesiastes, 
nothing  good  or  hopeful  under  the  sun,  or  is  it  the 
outcry  of  a  man,  like  Job,  distracted  and  bewildered 
with  his  losses  and  sufferings,  or  is  it  clearly  the  ad- 
monition and  command  of  a  prophet  or  apostle  sent 
by  the  Almighty  to  declare  a  message?"  Questions 
like  these,  shrewdly  asked,  will  illumine  many  a  dark 
place  in  Scripture,  and  at  the  same  time  help  to  bring 
out  gleams  of  beauty  hidden  from  ordinary  vision. 

The  diligent  reader  of  the  Bible  soon  learns  for 
himself  that  while  each  portion  of  the  Book  may  have 
its  own  value  and  its  own  structure,  there  are  certain 


A  MANIFOLD  BOOK  49 

portions  which  literally  overflow  with  light,  and 
comfort,  and  strengthening  grace, — such  as  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount,  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  many  of  the 
Psalms,  certain  chapters  in  Isaiah,  and  some  of  Paul's 
writings.  Here  we  have  the  central  portion,  the 
throbbing  heart  of  the  Scripture,  but  to  read  it 
through  without  weighing  and  testing  the  various 
parts,  without  comparing  their  teachings  one  with 
another,  and  without  learning  to  discern  the  amazing 
variety  and  the  radical  differences  of  style  and  pur- 
pose and  helpfulness  which  abound  in  them,  is  a 
wasteful  and  an  unedifying  piece  of  business. 

It  is  greatly  to  our  advantage  that  the  Book  has 
these  diversities;  we  should  be  grateful  that  God  has 
made  it  possible  for  us  by  means  of  them  now  to 
wander  on  sunny  slopes,  and  now  to  walk  through 
grassy  glades;  now  to  pluck  fruit  from  luxuriant 
orchards,  and  again  to  explore  mysterious  caverns, 
and  once  in  a  while  to  ascend  a  mountain  peak  and 
thence  get  a  glimpse  of  vast  expanses  of  beauty, 
and  nearer  visions  of  the  sky;  to-day  to  refresh  our- 
selves in  cool  and  shady  nooks  from  neverfailing 
springs,  and  to-morrow  dig  deep  into  some  murky 
mine  and  bring  out  from  its  recesses  gems  of  priceless 
value.  Exercising  discernment  in  reading  the  Word, 
the  reader  finds  that  there  are  certain  portions  to 
which  he  instinctively  turns  when  in  anxiety,  in  doubt, 
in  temptation,  in  sorrow,  in  trial.  He  realizes  that 
these  inner  and  essential  features  of  the  Bible  are  the 
liber  in  libro,  the  Book  within  the  book,  and  that  these 
are  the  substantial  things  of  revelation — such  as  the 


50  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

promises  of  God;  the  moral  law,  with  its  ever  clarifying 
standards  of  ethics;  the  patterns  of  devotion  and 
courage  and  faith  which  abound;  and  the  perfect 
character  of  our  Lord  as  set  forth  in  the  Gospels. 
These  varying  qualities  of  the  Scriptures  not  only 
carry  with  them  a  self-evidencing  quality  which, 
rightly  apprehended,  makes  the  Bible  its  own  best 
witness  to  its  authority,  truthfulness,  and  power, 
but  also  constitute  innumerable  contributions  to  the 
list  of  charms  which  this  volume  embodies. 

Growing  out  of  this  singular  variety  of  the  contents 
of  Scripture  we  find  a  diversity  of  utterance,  a  mul- 
tiplicity of  literary  method,  and  an  omniformity  of 
style  which  transcend  enumeration  and  description. 
It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  nearly  all  manner 
of  writings  and  writers  are  found  in  the  Bible — except 
specimens  of  the  frivolous  or  comic.  Indeed,  styles, 
rather  than  style,  the  plural  rather  than  the  singular, 
is  the  term  that  needs  to  be  used  in  the  effort  to 
define  the  literary  attractions  of  the  Bible.  These 
attractions  alone  demand  a  volume  instead  of  a  chap- 
ter for  their  adequate  delineation.  Although  they 
have  challenged  and  received  an  attention,  age  after 
age,  which  is  now  proverbial  from  the  masters  of 
style,  and  although  they  have  exercised  a  vitalizing 
ministry  in  the  growth  of  our  language,  from  its 
primitive  beginnings  through  all  its  progress  in  the 
creation  of  that  magnificent  heritage  which  we  call 
English  literature,  yet  the  field  is  still  virgin  soil  in 
which  each  new  generation  finds  fresh  and  hitherto 
unreckoned  treasures. 


A  MANIFOLD  BOOK  51 

The  variety  of  aim,  authorship,  environment,  and 
subject  embodied  in  the  different  books  of  the  Bible, 
as  well  as  the  long  period,  variously  estimated  at 
from  a  thousand  to  fourteen  hundred  years,  during 
which  the  process  of  composition,  collaboration, 
editing,  and  unification  into  a  single  volume  went  on, 
are  circumstances  which  suggest  the  historic  ground- 
work of  the  various  literary  qualities  which  we  find 
in  the  Word.  Picturesque  outlines  of  the  beginnings 
of  things,  in  the  morning  of  time;  an  account  of  the 
origin  of  the  race,  and  of  the  emergence  and  growth 
of  sin  in  the  world;  sketches  of  heroic  personalities — 
now  elaborate,  and  now  terse  and  brief,  mere  thumb- 
nail portraits,  as  it  were — and  narratives  of  their 
struggles,  adventures,  sorrows,  failures,  sins,  and 
victories;  songs  and  prayers  which  touch  every  chord 
in  the  human  heart,  and  sweep  the  whole  gamut  of 
the  experience  of  the  race;  messages  spoken  by 
anointed  messengers  of  God  to  kings  and  nations,  in 
times  of  peril  and  transgression  and  calamity;  wise 
maxims,  keen  proverbial  utterances — the  wisdom  of 
the  many  crystallized  into  current  intellectual  coin 
for  all  time  by  the  wit  of  a  few — dramas  of  suffering 
and  of  joy;  a  biography,  fourfold  in  form,  that  stands 
alone  in  its  absolute  perfection  of  plan,  detail,  and 
moving  force,  and  in  its  fadeless  and  stainless  beauty ; 
letters  to  endangered  converts  and  inchoate  churches 
and  bodies  of  people  just  gathered  out  of  idolatry, 
and  assailed  by  temptations  and  woes  which,  however 
peculiar  to  their  time,  were  yet  universal  in  their  essen- 
tial nature,  and  which  repeat  their  allurements  and 


\ 


52  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

specious  phases  of  iniquity  in  various  guises  in  every 
age  since  that  early  day  of  trial  and  martyrdom;  mys- 
terious imagery,  startling  visions,  detailed  directions 
concerning  forms  of  worship — here  we  have,  in  a  single 
far-ranging  sentence,  at  least  a  suggestion  covering 
the  different  sorts  of  writings  to  be  found  in  the  Bible. 
Further,  every  one  of  these  themes  has  its  own 
apt  and  adequate  style,  its  own  form  of  literary 
expression,  its  own  figures  of  speech,  or,  as  circum- 
stances demanded,  its  own  plain  and  direct  and 
unadorned  quaintness  of  utterance,  its  own  verbal 
and  rhetorical  embodiment.  When  we  gather  into 
one  view  these  various  qualities  of  style,  what  an 
amazing  variety,  what  an  extraordinary  combination, 
we  have  set  before  our  vision!  The  greatness  of  the 
Most  High,  the  majesty  and  the  meanness  of  man, 
the  power  of  the  human  heart  to  rejoice,  to  suffer, 
and  to  triumph,  the  magnificence  of  the  mountains 
and  the  sea,  the  largeness  of  God's  mercy,  and  the 
Psa.  45.  2  beauty  of  Him  who  was  "fairer  than  the  children  of 
men/'  and  altogether  lovely — these  and  a  thousand 
other  themes  which  transcend  description,  are  en- 
shrined in  Scripture  in  words  and  sentences  and 
paragraphs  which,  after  having  passed  the  scrutiny 
of  the  ages,  have  won  unstinted  admiration  from  the 
most  penetrating  judgments,  and,  according  to  the 
determination  of  the  centuries,  remain  the  most 
perfect  utterances  in  all  literature.  Surely  those  who 
are  seeking  the  highest  standard  of  literary  work  in 
the  world  will  find  it  embodied  in  many  places  in  the 
English  Bible. 


A  MANIFOLD  BOOK  53 

The  tribute  recorded  by  the  revisers  of  the  Bible, 
in  the  version  issued  in  1881-85,  is,  in  connection 
with  this  phase  of  the  case,  worth  citing,  as  it  comes 
from  experts  who  had  devoted  years  of  painstaking 
labor  to  the  work  committed  to  their  hands: 

We  have  had  to  study  this  great  version  carefully  and 
minutely,  line  by  line;  and  the  longer  we  have  been  engaged 
upon  it  the  more  we  have  learned  to  admire  its  simplicity,  its 
dignity,  its  power,  its  happy  turns  of  expression,  its  general 
accuracy,  and,  we  must  not  fail  to  add,  the  music  of  its 
cadences  and  the  felicities  of  its  rhythm.  To  render  a  work 
that  had  reached  this  high  standard  of  excellence  still  more 
excellent,  to  increase  its  fidelity  without  destroying  its  charm, 
was  the  task  committed  to  us. 

A  still  more  recent  tribute,  which  in  view  of  its 
source  and  spirit  is  remarkable,  appears  in  the  daily 
press  dispatches  while  this  chapter  is  being  written — 
a  statement  from  the  committee  representing  the 
Jewish  Publication  Society  of  America,  and  the  Cen- 
tral Conference  of  American  Rabbis,  the  two  bodies 
embracing,  collectively  and  typically,  the  Hebrew 
scholarship  of  the  twentieth  century.  Under  the 
auspices  of  these  two  organizations  a  new  version  of 
the  Old  Testament  is  being  made.  It  is  to  be,  accord- 
ing to  their  statement,  "a  mere  revision"  of  the  two 
former  versions,  the  "Authorized"  of  1611  and  the 
"Revised"  of  1885.    Of  the  former  version  they  say: 

In  the  case  of  the  older  English  version  it  is  well  known 
how  it  has  become  an  English  classic,  part  and  parcel  of  the 
great  English  literature ;  its  phraseology  has  entered  the  very 
English  language  and  cannot  be  severed  therefrom  with 
impunity.  Hence  it  is  that  the  new  translation  will  not 
attempt  to  discard  familiar  phrases  unless  in  the  judgment 
of  the  editors  they  fail  to  do   justice  to  the  Hebrew  original. 


54  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Even  in  such  cases  the  familiar   renderings  will  be  recorded 
in  the  margin. 

Nor  will  there  be  any  attempt  at  modernizing  the  diction. 
Biblical  English  has  a  ring  and  a  force  which  up  to  date 
language  cannot  equal.  The  quaintness  of  the  English 
Bible  is  a  charm  that  must  not  be  sacrificed  to  an  exaggerated 
desire  for  intelligibility.  The  errors  of  translation  must  at 
all  hazards  be  corrected;  absolutely  unintelligible  or  mis- 
leading words  must  be  discarded,  but  care  must  be  taken  to 
preserve  the  beauty  of  the  biblical  English,  for  the  English 
Bible  as  a  classic  is  dear  to  all  English-speaking  men,  Jews 
or  Christians. 

The  preciousness  of  this  inheritance  which  we  pos- 
sess in  our  English  Bible  may  be  emphasized  when 
we  recall  the  fact  that  it  now  represents  more  than 
five  centuries  of  scholastic  toil,  devoted  to  it  in  the 
effort  to  clarify  and  perfect  each  successive  version 
that  has  been  made  since  Wycliffe's  first  translation 
of  the  whole  Bible  into  English  was  given  to  the 
world  in  1384,  A.  D.  Our  English  Bible  is  enriched 
with  martyr  blood,  shed  in  order  to  purchase  the 
right  to  translate,  read,  and  circulate  it,  and  it  has 
been  inwrought  into  the  very  life  of  our  English  lan- 
guage and  literature  so  deeply  that  if  it  were  possible 
to  take  away  the  elements  which  it  has  contributed 
to  our  dictionaries,  our  poetry,  and  our  chief  stand- 
ards they  would  be  left  in  rags  and  tatters. 

The  literary  excellence  of  the  Scriptures  as  embodied 
in  our  familiar  versions  has  received  new  prominence 
within  the  past  decade  or  two  by  the  emphasis  which 
has  been  put  upon  the  Bible  as  Literature,  to  cite  the 
suggestive  title  of  a  volume  issued  a  dozen  years  ago, 
containing  articles  by  twenty-one  notable  scholars, 
such  as  Lyman  Abbott,  Henry  van  Dyke,  Marvin  R. 


A  MANIFOLD  BOOK  55 

Vincent,  and  Milton  S.  Terry.  Professor  R.  G. 
Moulton,  one  of  the  joint  authors  of  the  book,  has 
prepared  an  edition  of  the  Books  of  the  Bible,  the 
typographical  arrangement  of  which,  and  also  the 
fresh  analyses  and  discerning  notes  which  he  has 
supplied,  make  up  a  distinctive  contribution  to  the 
apparatus  of  the  reader  who  would  become  acquainted 
with  the  charms  of  the  Scripture.  Further,  the 
typographical  arrangement  of  the  Revised  Version — 
especially  the  printing  of  the  Psalms  and  other  por- 
tions of  the  Old  Testament  as  poetry,  and  the  indi- 
cation of  citations  from  various  parts  of  Scripture  as 
such  on  the  page,  have  helped  to  make  the  volume 
almost  a  new  book  in  its  revelation  of  significance  and 
beauty.  In  addition  there  are  a  dozen  other  recent 
versions — the  Century  Bible,  the  Twentieth  Century 
New  Testament,  the  Temple,  the  Cambridge,  and 
the  Westminster  Bibles,  and  others  of  a  character 
all  their  own,  each  of  which  serves  to  bring  out  at- 
tractive phases  of  the  Word  hitherto  not  stressed  in 
any  former  edition.  The  fresh  facilities  for  biblical 
study,  the  wealth  of  expository  knowledge,  and  the 
new  revelations  of  the  beauty  and  worth  of  our 
Scriptures  which  are  thus  set  before  us  are  so  many 
and  so  important  that  they  may  well  be  styled  a 
distinguishing  feature  of  our  age.  No  other  genera- 
tion ever  had  such  invaluable  treasures  put  within 
reach  in  this  regard  as  those  which  we  possess.  And 
each  one  enhances  the  attractions  of  the  Book,  which 
grow  in  number  and  in  beauty,  decade  by  decade. 

1/ 


CHAPTER  V 
LITERARY  TRAITS 


The  Preacher  sought  to  find  out  acceptable  words; 
And  that  which  was  written  was  upright, 
Even  words  of  truth. 
The  words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads, 
And  as  nails  fastened  by  the  masters  of  assemblies. 

— Eccl.  12.  10,  11. 


Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord  and  read: 

No  one  of  these  shall  fail, 

None  shall  want  her  mate; 

For  my  mouth  it  hath  commanded, 

And  his  spirit  it  hath  gathered  them. 

The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth: 
But  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  for  ever. 

— Isa.  34.  16;  40.  8. 


Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom; 
teaching  and  admonishing  one  another  with  psalms  and 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts 
unto  God. 

—Col.  3.  16. 

This  Book,  this  holy  Book,  on  every  line 
Marked  with  the  seal  of  high  divinity, 
On  every  leaf  bedewed  with  drops  of  love 
Divine,  and  with  the  eternal  heraldry 
And  signature  of  God  Almighty  stamped 
From  first  to  last ;  this  ray  of  sacred  light, 
This  lamp  from  off  the  everlasting  throne, 
Mercy  took  down,  and  in  the  night  of  Time 
Stood,  casting  on  the  dark  her  gracious  bow; 
And  evermore  beseeching  men  with  tears 
And  earnest  sighs,  to  read,  believe,  and  live. 

—Robert  Pollok. 


CHAPTER  V 
LITERARY  TRAITS 

There  are  certain  rhetorical  features  of  the  Bible 
which  have  put  it  in  the  foreground  of  the  world's 
attention,  and  have  kept  it  there  for  ages  in  undis- 
puted literary  supremacy.  A  few  of  these  may  now 
be  indicated,  in  brief,  and  yet  in  some  detail,  and  with 
illustrative  citations. 

Some  men,  among  those  whose  writings  are  found 
in  the  Bible,  deal  with  the  grandest  themes,  and  move 
on  the  very  highest  plane  of  thought  and  expression. 
It  is  difficult  to  represent  their  work  fitly  without 
using  superlative  terms.  These  writers  were  first  of 
all  men  of  unrivaled  genius;  then  they  had  a  passion 
for  God  and  an  aptitude  for  religious  truth,  and  an 
insight  into  its  meaning  and  worth  which  made  them 
a  class  by  themselves;  they  had  extraordinary  literary 
gifts;  and  in  addition  we  are  told  that  these  men 
"spake  from  God,  being  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit."  2  Pet.  1.21 
With  such  varied  qualifications,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
their  writings  in  certain  respects  are  of  surpassing 
rank. 

1.  The^sublimity  of  certain  passages  in  Scripture  is  a 
quality  which  stands  foremost  on  many  pages.  What, 
for  instance,  can  the  literature  of  the  world  present 
to  match  the  opening  verses  of  Genesis?  No  matter 
what  interpretation  may  be  put  upon  the  chapter 


60  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

from  which  the  verses  are  taken,  it  can  scarcely  be 
debated  that  the  ineffable  magnificence  of  the  theme 
finds  fit  embodiment  in  these  majestic  words: 

Gen.  1.  1-5  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and   the  earth. 

And  the  earth  was  waste  and  void;  and  darkness  was  upon 
the  face  of  the  deep:  and  the  spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the 
face  of  the  waters.  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light:  and 
there  was  light.  And  God  saw  the  light,  that  it  was  good: 
and  God  divided  the  light  from  the  darkness.  And  God 
called  the  light  Day,  and  the  darkness  he  called  Night.  And 
there  was  evening  and  there  was  morning,  one  day. 

Of  like  scope  and  magnificence  are  the  opening 
verses  of  the  Gospel  according  to  John: 

Johnl.  1-5  In  the  beginning   was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 

God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning 
with  God.  All  things  were  made  by  him;  and  without  him 
was  not  anything  made  that  hath  been  made.  In  him  was 
life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men.  And  the  light  shineth 
in  the  darkness;  and  the  darkness  apprehended  it  not. 

How  noble  and  adequate,  also,  are  the  words  of  the 
psalmist  in  which  he  symmetrizes  his  lofty  concep- 
tions of  the  power  of  Jehovah,  with  his  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  the  condescension  of  the  Most 
High: 

Psa.  147. 1-9  Praise  ye  the  Lord* 

For  it  is  good  to  sing  praises  unto  our  God; 

For  it  is  pleasant,  and  praise  is  comely. 

The  Lord  doth  build  up  Jerusalem; 

He  gathereth  together  the  outcasts  of  Israel. 

He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 

And  bindeth  up  their  wounds. 

He  telleth  the  number  of  the  stars; 

He  giveth  them  all  their  names. 

Great  is  our  Lord,  and  mighty  in  power; 

His  understanding  is  infinite. 

The  Lord  upholdeth  the  meek; 


LITERARY  TRAITS  61 

He  bringeth  the  wicked  down  to  the  ground. 
Sing  unto  the  Lord  with  thanksgiving; 
Sing  praises  upon  the  harp  unto  our  God: 
Who  covereth  the  heavens  with  clouds. 
Who  prepareth  rain  for  the  earth, 
Who  maketh  grass  to  grow  upon  the  mountains. 
He  giveth  to  the  beast  his  food, 
And  to  the  young  ravens  which  cry. 

Other  illustrative  citations  embodying  this  quality 
may  recur  when  we  take  up  specifically  the  topic  of 
Hebrew  Poetry. 

2.  The  yearning,  human  tenderness  of  the  Bible  is  a 
phase  not  to  be  ignored.  Such  utterances  as  the  fol- 
lowing form  an  essential  part  of  the  Book,  and  they 
make  up  an  unspeakably  precious  element  in  the 
Christian's  heritage  of  grace  and  truth: 

As  one  whom  his  mother  comforteth,  so  will  I  comfort  you.   Isa.  66.  13 

Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  Psa.  103. 13 
them  that  fear  him. 

For  the  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed;   Isa.  54.  10 
but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall 
my  covenant  of  peace  be  removed,  saith  Jehovah  that  hath 
mercy  on  thee. 

And  Jehovah  said,  I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  of  my  Exod.  3. 7,  8 
people  who  are  in  Egypt,  and  have  heard  their  cry  by  reason 
of  their  taskmasters;  for  I  know  their  sorrows;  and  I  am 
come  down  to  deliver  them  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  to  bring  them  up  out  of  that  land  unto  a  good  land 
and  a  large,  unto  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey. 

3.  Chapters  42^45,^1  the  Book  of  Genesis  are  over- 
flowing with  another  element  vitally  affiliated  with 
that  which  has  just  been  noted— namely,  the  quality 
of  pathos. 

Those  who  can  read  that  inimitable  story  of  Joseph 
as  he  deals  with  his  brothers  in  Egypt,  and  finally 
reveals  himself  to  them,  and  sends  for  his  father  to 


62  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

come  down  from  Canaan — without  being  deeply 
moved  with  the  emotions  which  perennially  throb 
and  stir  in  the  narrative  even  after  the  lapse  of  thirty- 
five  centuries,  must  be  apathetic  indeed. 

There  are  throughout  the  Scripture  record  cries  of 
anguish,  wailings  of  despair,  sobs  of  inexpressible 
grief,  which  come  to  us  across  the  ages,  repeated  to 
us  as  though  the  Bible  were  a  phonograph,  endowed 
with  the  power  to  repeat  even  the  tones  of  the  voice 
and  the  choking  utterances  of  the  heartbroken  of 
ancient  centuries  which  are  contained  in  this  most 
human  of  books.  What  a  notable  case  is  that,  for 
example,  which  the  historian  gives  in  his  revelation 
of  King  David's  appalling  agony  when  he  hears  of 
the  death  of  the  revolting  Prince  Absalom: 

2  Sam.  18.  33  And  the  king  was  much  moved,  and  went  up  to  the  cham- 
ber over  the  gate,  and  wept:  and  as  he  went,  thus  he  said: 
O  my  son  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  Absalom!  would  God  I 
had  died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son! 

We  scarcely  need  Longfellow's  lines  to  make  this 
scene  and  its  lessons  more  vivid  than  this  single  cita- 
tion from  Scripture  makes  it: 

There  is  no  far  nor  near, 
There  is  neither  there  nor  here, 
There  is  neither  soon  nor  late 
In  that  Chamber  over  the  Gate, 
Nor  any  long  ago 
To  that  cry  of  human  woe, — 
O  Absalom,  my  son! 

Some  of  the  appeals  which  Jehovah  puts  into  the 
mouths  of  his  prophetic  messengers  overflow  with 
pathetic  tenderness,  while  the  words  of  our  Lord 


LITERARY  TRAITS  63 

again  and  again  are  surcharged  with  it.    Two  or 
three  instances  must  suffice : 

How  shall  I   give  thee  up,  Ephraim?  how  shall  I  deliver  Hos.  11.  8 
thee,  Israel?  how  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah?  how  shall  I 
set  thee  as  Zeboim?  my  heart  is    turned  within  me,  my 
compassions  are  kindled  together! 

And  now,  O  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  and  men  of   Judah,    Isa.  5.  3,  4 
judge,  I  pray  you,  betwixt  me  and  my  vineyard.      What 
could  have  been  done  more  to  my  vineyard,  that  I  have  not 
done  in  it?    wherefore,  when  I  looked  that  it  should  bring 
forth  grapes,  brought  it  forth  wild  grapes? 

O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  which  killeth  the    prophets,  and   Matt.  23.  37 
stoneth  them  that  are  sent  unto  her!  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  together  even   as  a  hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not! 

Thus  throughout  the  Scriptures  God  seeks  access 
to  us  by  incidents  and  utterances  which  aim  at  the 
mqst  sensitive  regions  of  the  soul,  in  the  effort  to 
reclaim  us  from  our  wanderings  and  bring  us  back  to 
our  home.  This  feature  of  the  Book  may  be  reck- 
oned one  of  its  chief  elements  of  power — the  appeals 
which  it  continually  makes  to  the  sympathies,  yearn- 
ings, soul-hunger,  and  tender  emotional  capacities 
which  are  lodged  in  the  universal  heart  of  man. 

4.  The  singular  skill,  the  searching  and  awakening 
force  and  penetrating  power  revealed  in  the  question- 
ing methods  of  the  Bible  need  to  be  noted  in  any 
faithful  attempt  to  delineate  the  elements  of  attrac- 
tion in  its  literary  style.  The  questions  which  are 
put  into  the  mouth  of  the  Almighty  in  the  opening 
chapters  of  Genesis  afford  specimens  of  the  quickening 
and  wakening  ministry  of  well-directed  inquiries  when 
aimed  at  the  detection  of  transgressors,  the  alarming 
of  the  conscience,  and  the  exposure  of  sin.    How 


64  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

terrific  are  these  arousing  questions,  which  are  sup- 
posed to  sound  in  the  ear  of  the  first  man,  cowering 
in  guilty  dread,  smitten  with  premonitions  of  doom, 
in  the  garden  of  Eden: 

Gen.3.9,11,13  Where  art  thou?  .  .  .  Who  told  thee  that  thou  wast 
naked?  .  .  .  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree  whereof  I  com- 
manded thee  that  thou  shouldest  not  eat?  .  .  .  What  is 
this  thou  hast  done? 

In  like  manner  the  arraignment  of  Cain  incorporates 

the  same  principle,  the  same  relentless  and  unescap- 

able  method: 

Gen.  4.  6,  9, 10  And  Jehovah  said  unto  Cain,  Why  art  thou  wroth?  and 
why  is  thy  countenance  fallen?  .  .  .  Where  is  Abel  thy 
brother?  .  .  .  What  hast  thou  done? 

How  tender  the  question  addressed  to  the  heart- 
broken Hagar,  in  the  desert,  famishing  for  water, 
and  expecting  that  she  and  Ishmael  were  surely 
doomed  to  perish  of  thirst  and  heat — the  question 
which  opened  to  her  a  chance  to  breathe  out  her  cry 
of  want  and  grief  into  the  ear  of  heaven,  and  which 
assured  her  that  sympathy  and  help  were  available 
in  her  extremity  of  need: 

Gen.  21. 17  What  aileth  thee,  Hagar? 

How  full  of  both  gentle  rebuke  and  of  sympathetic 
encouragement  is  the  inquiry  addressed  to  the  great 
prophet  of  Israel,  when  he  had  fled  from  the  threats 
of  Jezebel  and  in  despondence  and  loneliness  was 
hiding  in  the  cave  at  Sinai: 

1  Kings  19. 9  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah? 

The  function  which  the  interrogative  method  serves 
in  turning  the  gaze  of  the  transgressor  in  upon  his 


LITERARY  TRAITS  65 

own  life,  and  thus  inducing  him  to  sit  in  judgment 
and  condemnation  upon  his  sins,  is  abundantly 
illustrated  throughout  the  books  of  the  Hebrew 
prophets,  who  knew  well  how  to  thrust  a  sharp  ques- 
tion into  the  very  quick  in  the  warnings  and  appeals 
which  they  delivered.  A  few  instances,  cited  almost 
at  random,  may  be  suggested: 

And  what  will  ye  do  in  the  day  of  visitation,  and  in  the   Isa.  10.  3 
desolation  which  shall  come  from  far?  to  whom  will   ye  flee 
for  help?  and  where  will  you  leave  your  glory? 

Were  they  ashamed  when  they  had  committed  abomination?   Jer.  6.  15 
nay,  they  were  not  at  all  ashamed,  neither  could  they  blush. 

Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead?    is  there  no  physician  there?  8.  22 

why  then  is  not  the  health  of  the  daughter  of  my  people 
recovered? 

Why  will  ye  die,  0  house  of  Israel?  Ezek.  33.  11 

It  is  in  the  New  Testament,  however,  that  we  find 
the  fullest  exhibition  of  the  scope  and  power  of  the 
interrogative  form  of  speech,  as  it  is  employed  by  our 
Lord  and  by  Saint  Paul.  It  would  require  many 
pages  to  cite  all  the  questions  used  by  them,  and  to 
make  brief  comments  upon  them  in  the  case.  The 
great  Teacher,  of  whom  in  his  early  boyhood  it  is 
recorded  that  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  he  was 
found  among  the  doctors,  "both  hearing  them,  and  Luke  2. 46 
asking  them  questions,"  revealed  higher  qualities  in 
the  use  of  the  interrogation  point  than  even  that 
ancient  Greek  philosopher  whose  fame  is  linked  with 
the  Socratic  method  which  he  first  established  at 
Athens.  The  Master  questioned  men  for  purposes 
of  awakening,  of  rebuke,  of  encouragement,  and  in 
his  ministry  left  on  record  scores  and  scores  of  ques- 
tions which  embody  his  knowledge  of  the  human 


66  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

heart  and  of  the  science  of  teaching.    Without  any 

effort  to  organize  these  inquiries,  it  may  serve  our 

purpose  merely  to  cite  a  few  as  typical  of  his  method: 

Matt.  7.  16  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles? 

8.  26  Why  are  ye  fearful,  O  ye  of  little  faith? 

9-  28  Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do  this? 

13.  51  Have  ye  understood  all  these  things? 

16.  13  Who  do  men  say  that  the  Son  of  man  is? 

20.    6  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle? 

22.  20  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription? 

22.  42  What  think  ye  of  the  Christ?  whose  son  is  he? 

Mark  11.  30  The  baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven,  or  from  men? 

Luke  10.  26  What  is  written  in  the  law?  how  readest  thou? 

Mark  8.  36  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  his  own  soul? 

Remarkable  specimens  of  the  interrogative  method 
as  employed  by  Saint  Paul,  especially  in  his  argu- 
mentative writings,  may  be  found  in  the  second  and 
third  chapters  of  Romans. 

Those  who  will  reflect  on  the  singular  facility  with 
which  a  shrewd  question — which  Bacon  said  is  the 
half  of  knowledge — fastens  itself  in  the  memory, 
arouses  the  soul  from  dormancy,  and  sometimes  puts 
every  faculty  on  the  qui  vive,  can  scarcely  ignore 
the  attractive,  holding,  and  searching  function  of  this 
element  in  the  Bible,  which  compels  attention, 
awakens  conscience,  quickens  thought,  and  often 
pierces  the  soul  to  its  deepest  recesses  by  its  matchless 
interrogatory  forms  of  speech. 
/^  5.  Another  feature  in  the  style  of  the  biblical  chroni- 

j/  ,     clers  which  takes  strong  hold  of  the  casual  reader  as 
well  as  the  critical  student  is  the  quaint,  straight^. 
forwarcj,  and  picturesque  simplicity  of  their  writings. 
Some  of  tne  men  wno  nelpeaTo  put  the  Old  Testa- 


LITERARY  TRAITS  67 

ment  into  its  present  form  were  fascinating  story- 
tellers, using  that  term  in  its  very  highest  sense.  The 
noblest  arts  which  have  from  earliest  times  made  the 
Orient  famous  in  this  regard  find  their  highest  em- 
bodiment in  Scripture.  Certain  of  the  elements  of 
their  style,  as  viewed  in  connection  with  this  charac- 
teristic of  their  productions,  are  not  easily  defined, 
but  a  little  study  reveals  other  phases  of  enduring 
interest  and  attractiveness  which  are  vivified  in  their 
narratives.  The  use  of  the  archaic  phrase,  "And  it 
came  to  pass";  the  skillful  massing  of  circumstantial 
details,  done  with  graphic  power;  and  the  employ- 
ment of  such  distinctive  expressions  as  the  following: 

He  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept — his  sickness  was  sore — in 
his  days  and  in  his  son's  days — they  returned  every  man  to 
his  house  in  peace — under  his  own  vine  and  figtree — no  rest 
for  the  sole  of  her  foot — yet  other  seven  days — to  thee  and 
to  thy  seed  after  thee — he  did  solemnly  protest — his  life  is 
bound  up  in  the  lad's  life — fell  on  his  neck  and  wept — a  very 
great  and  sore  lamentation — man  child — man  of  God — 
comely — goodly — divers  weights  and  measures — avouched— 

and  many  other  strong,  commanding,  old-fashioned 
terms — these  are  features  of  these  ancient  writings 
which  are  significant  and  characteristic  as  suggesting 
some  of  the  secrets  of  their  fascinating  method.  In 
addition  it  will  be  seen,  with  a  little  examination,  that 
the  Hebrew  narrators  make  a  sparing  use  of  adjectives 
and  descriptive  epithets,  while  they  constantly  bring 
the  noun  and  the  verb  into  the  foreground,  putting 
stress  upon  them  and  employing  them  often  without 
any  qualifying  phrases,  while  there  are  still  other 
qualities  in  their  style  which  are  elusive  and  subtle, 


68  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

and  which  almost  defy  analysis.  Whether  one  can 
penetrate,  however,  into  the  secrets  of  their  literary 
art,  or  not,  it  is  evident  that  these  old  chroniclers 
composed  their  narratives  after  a  method  which  has 
made  them  models  of  effectiveness  for  all  time. 

Let  the  following  brief  quotation  be  scrutinized,  and 
it  will  be  found  to  contain  some  of  the  most  striking 
traits  of  the  skill  of  the  Hebrew  story-writers.  Not 
a  word  can  be  changed  to  advantage;  each  term  adds 
force  and  finish  to  the  narrative,  and  the  whole  stands 
out  like  a  picture  drawn  upon  canvas: 

Josh.  9.  3-6  But  when  the  inhabitants  of    Gibeon  heard  what  Joshua 

had  done  unto  Jericho  and  to  Ai,  they  also  did  work  wilily, 
and  went  and  made  as  if  they  had  been  ambassadors,  and 
took  old  sacks  upon  their  asses,  and  wine-skins,  old  and  rent 
and  bound  up;  and  old  shoes  and  clouted  upon  their  feet, 
and  old  garments  upon  them ;  and  all  the  bread  of  their  pro- 
vision was  dry  and  was  become  moldy.  And  they  went  to 
Joshua  unto  the  camp  at  Gilgal,  and  said  unto  him,  and  to 
the  men  of  Israel,  We  are  come  from  a  far  country:  now 
therefore  make  ye  a  covenant  with  us. 

The  whole  Book  of  Ruth  is  an  illustration  of  the 
felicitous  style  of  those  who  wrote  the  historic  books 
of  the  Old  Testament — an  idyllic  prose  poem,  whose 
beauty  is  never-fading. 
2  Sam.  12.  l-  The  account  of  the  interview  of  Nathan  with  David 
is  a  piece  of  exquisite  work.  Other  qualities  in 
addition  to  that  of  direct  simplicity  are  here  embodied 
— tragic  power,  dramatic  action,  descriptive  finish — 
indeed,  the  skill  of  the  story-teller  here  reaches  its 
climax. 

The  work  of  the  four  evangelists  in  respect  to  the 
quality  of  direct  and  unadorned  narration  marks  off 


15 


LITERARY  TRAITS  69 

these  portions  of  Scripture  from  all  other  documents 
in  the  world.  The  authors  of  the  Gospels  tell  the 
story  of  the  earthly  life  and  ministry  of  the  Saviour 
of  the  world;  but  they  hardly  ever  stop  to  make  a 
comment,  or  insert  an  adjective,  or  use  a  single  quali- 
fying term.  Incidents  the  greatness  and  the  signifi- 
cance of  which  must  baffle  even  angelic  intelligences, 
words  which  remain  for  all  time  and  all  eternity  the 
final  expression  of  the  will  of  the  Father  in  heaven,  and 
the  unfolding  of  the  way  of  salvation  for  the  human 
race,  and  at  the  last  the  sorrows  and  death  and  resur- 
rection of  the  Redeemer — all  these  are  simply  told — 
not  described,  or  pictured,  or  expounded,  or  elaborated 
— with  an  elimination  of  all  personal  elements  in  the 
witness  and  narrator,  with  a  self-restraint,  a  poise, 
an  unadorned  simplicity  of  statement,  and  an  ab- 
sence of  comment  which  silence  us  in  a  spell  of  speech- 
less amazement  when  we  come  to  study  the  history, 
and  note  this  quality  in  the  historians.  In  compari- 
son with  the  so-called  graphic  descriptions  which  have 
been  given  in  the  pulpit,  and  in  contrast  with  the 
efforts  of  the  various  biographers  of  our  Lord  in  deal- 
ing with  the  crucifixion,  what  a  piece  of  narration 
is  this: 

Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  palace,  Matt.  27.  27- 
and  gathered  unto  him  the  whole  band.  And  they  stripped  31 
him,  and  put  on  him  a  scarlet  robe.  And  they  plaited  a 
crown  of  thorns  and  put  it  upon  his  head,  and  a  reed  in  his 
right  hand;  and  they  kneeled  down  before  him,  and  mocked 
him,  saying,  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews!  And  they  spat  upon 
him,  and  took  the  reed  and  smote  him  on  the  head.  And 
when  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  off  from  him  the  robe, 
and  put  on  him  his  garments,  and  led  him  away  to  crucify  him. 


0 


70  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

The  nakedness  of  the  style  in  the  bare,  unclad  story 
of  the  evangelist  seems  to  befit  Him  from  whose  body 
the  seamless  robe  was  stripped  before  he  was  nailed 
to  the  cross. 

6.  The_  symbolism  of  the  biblical  writers  deserves 
a  chapter  instead  of  a  paragraph.  That  the  Orientals 
in  their  languages  and  literature  abound  in  imagery, 
that  they  see  the  truth  not  in  logical  array  but  in 
pictures,  that  they  are  given  not  to  argument  or 
mathematical  statements  but  to  allegories  and  para- 
bles and  various  figures  of  speech,  is  as  true  to-day  as 
it  was  in  the  olden  time.  Thus  the  Book,  written  by 
Orientals,  makes  its  appeal  to  children,  to  lovers  of 
poetical  and  dramatic  beauty,  and  to  all  who  are 
moved  by  rhetorical  symbolism.  From  this  quality 
comes  the  power  which  this  volume  has  over  the 
imagination  in  its  portrayals  of  truth  in  the  form  of 
glowing  and  sometimes  terrible  imagery. 

Page  after  page  might  well  be  occupied  with  illus- 
trative citations  instancing  the  variety  and  the 
splendor  of  these  symbolic  utterances.  A  few  must 
suffice,  but  it  will  be  an  interesting  task  for  any 
Bible  student  to  copy  out  and  arrange  typical  pas- 
sages for  himself.  The  dying  utterance  of  the  patri- 
arch Jacob,  for  example,  is  full  of  characteristic 
symbolism: 

Gen.  49.  3,  4,       Reuben,  thou  art  my  firstborn:  .  .  . 
9,  11, 12  Boiling  over  as  water,  thou  shalt  not  have  the  preeminence. 

Judah  is  a  lion's  whelp. 

Binding  his  foal  unto  the  vine, 

And  his  ass's  colt  unto  the  choice  vine; 

He  hath  washed  his  garments  in  wine, 


LITERARY  TRAITS  71 

And  his  vesture  in  the  blood  of  grapes: 
His  eyes  shall  be  red  with  wine, 
And  his  teeth  white  with  milk. 

The  Psalms  are  overflowing  with  imagery  employed 

to  make  vivid  the  character  and  attributes  of  Jehovah, 

such  as  may  be  found  in  the  following: 

The  Lord  is  my  rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my  deliverer;    Psa.  18.  2,  28, 
My  God,  my  strong  rock,  in  him  will  I  take  refuge;  29,  33-35 

My  shield,  and  the  horn  of  my  salvation,  my  high  tower. 

For  thou  wilt  light  my  lamp : 

The  Lord  my  God  will  lighten  my  darkness. 

For  by  thee  I  run  upon  a  troop ; 

And  by  my  God  do  I  leap  over  a  wall. 

He  maketh  my  feet  like  hinds'  feet : 

And  setteth  me  upon  my  high  places. 

He  teacheth  my  hands  to  war; 

So  that  mine  arms  do  bend  a  bow  of  brass. 

Thou  hast  also  given  me  the  shield  of  thy  salvation: 

And  thy  right  hand  hath  holden  me  up, 

And  thy  gentleness  hath  made  me  great. 

The  biblical  symbols  suggesting  the  brevity  of  life, 
and  the  beauty  of  a  long  and  well-spent  career,  are 
many.    From  the  multitude  we  may  cite  these: 

My  days  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle.  Job  7.  6 

In  the  morning  they  are  like  grass  which  groweth  up.        Psa.  90.  5,  6 
In  the  morning  it  flourisheth,  and  groweth  up; 
In  the  evening  it  is  cut  down,  and  withereth. 

The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm  tree:  92.  12-14 

He  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon; 
Those  that  be  planted  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
Shall  flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God. 
They  shall  still  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age. 

Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age,  Job  5.  26 

Like  as  a  shock  of  grain  cometh  in  in  its  season. 

A  single  practical  suggestion  in  connection  with 
this  enticing  topic  may  be  of  service  to  beginners  in 


72  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Bible  study,  as  well,  perhaps,  as  to  others:  Two 
faults  must  be  guarded  against  in  the  task  of  inter- 
preting figurative  passages  in  Scripture — (1)  do  not 
construe  them  as  if  they  were  plain  prose;  and  (2)  do 
not  crowd  and  strain  the  symbols  of  Scripture  to 
their  utmost  limit  in  the  endeavor  to  press  out  of  them 
the  last  bit  of  juice,  as  though  they  were  grapes  in  the 
wine  press. 

The  messages  of  the  prophets  abound  in  metaphors, 
similes,  and  other  symbols,  and  the  words  of  our  Lord 
— as  we  shall  have  occasion  to  note  later — are  often 
couched  in  parables.  This  figurative  manner  of 
speech  serves  to  pique  curiosity,  move  the  imagina- 
tion, appeal  to  the  emotions,  and  aid  the  memory, 
and  it  thus  becomes  a  distinctive  feature  of  the 
attractive  power  of  the  Word. 


r- 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS 


73 


O  Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works! 
In  wisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all: 
The  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches.  _ 
Yonder  is  the  sea,  great  and  wide, 
Wherein  are  things  creeping  innumerable, 
Both  small  and  great  beasts. 
There  go  the  ships; 

There  is  leviathan,  whom  thou  hast  formed  to  take  his  pas- 
time therein. 
These  wait  all  upon  thee, 

That  thou  mayest  give  them  their  meat  in  due  season. 
That  thou  givest  unto  them  they  gather; 
Thou  openest  thine  hand,  they  are  satisfied  with  good. 
Thou  hidest  thy  face,  they  are  troubled; 
Thou  takest  away  their  breath,  they  die, 
And  return  to  their  dust. 

Thou  sendest  forth  thy  spirit,  they  are  created; 
And  thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  ground. 
Let  the  glory  of  the  Lord  endure  for  ever; 
Let  the  Lord  rejoice  in  his  works. 

— Psa.  104.  24-31. 


O  Word  of  God, 

O  Wisdom  from  on  high, 
O  Truth  unchanged,  unchanging, 

O  Light  of  our  dark  sky; 
We  praise  thee  for  the  radiance 

That  from  the  hallowed  page, 
A  lantern  to  our  footsteps, 

Shines  on  from  age  to  age. 

It  floateth  like  a  banner 

Before  God's  host  unfurled; 
It  shineth  like  a  beacon 

Above  the  darkling  world. 
It  is  the  chart  and  compass 

That  o'er  life's  surging  sea, 
'Mid  mists  and  rocks  and  quicksands, 

Still  guides,  O  Christ,  to  thee. 

— William  Walsham  How. 


74 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS 

Much  more  of  the  Old  Testament  is  occupied  by 
poetical  contents  than  the  ordinary  Bible  reader  is 
aware  of,  for  most  of  the  books  of  the  Prophets  are 
poetical  in  form  as  well  as  in  their  literary  style. 
The  five  poetical  books,  already  enumerated — Job, 
Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  the  Song  of  Songs 
— when  printed  as  they  are  in  the  Revised  Version, 
are  at  first  sight  seen  to  be  of  that  order.  Bishop 
Lowth,  in  his  version  of  Isaiah,  and  Dr.  Moulton  in 
his  edition  of  the  Prophetical  Books,  as  well  as  other 
writers,  have  shown  that  there  is  thoroughly  good 
reason  for  printing  these  books  in  the  like  manner. 
When  thus  set  before  the  eye  they  have  a  new  beauty 
and  a  fresh  meaning. 

The  modern  typographical  setting  in  which  these 
books  are  or  may  be  presented  indicates  at  a  glance 
the  distinctive  feature  of  Hebrew  poetry,  as  to  its 
structure — namely,  the  system  of  parallelism.  As 
compared  with  English  forms  of  verse  even  a  child 
can  note  the  difference  between  biblical  and  other 
poetry.  In  Hebrew  poetry  there  is  no  rhythm,  such 
as  is  revealed  in  the  musical  lines  from  Byron: 

The  Assyrian  came  down  like  the  wolf  on  the  fold, 
And  his  cohorts  were  gleaming  with  purple  and  gold. 

75 


76  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

In  Hebrew  verse  there  is  no  rhyme — a  feature  which 
often  adds  melody  to  our  versified  lines;  there  is 
no  meter,  such  as  characterizes  English  blank  verse, 
as  in  the  following  from  one  of  Bickersteth's  produc- 
tions: 

God's  oracles  grew  luminous  as  he  spake; 

And  all  along  the  ages  good  from  ill 

And  light  from  darkness  sprang,  as  day  from  night. 

The  first  faint  dawn  from  ruined  Eden  rose, 

And  glimmered  round  the  solitary  ark, 

And  lighted  up  Moriah's  sacrifice, 

And  shed  its  warmth  on  Jacob's  dying  couch, 

And  bathed  the  bloodstained  mercy  seat  with  love. 

When  we  say  that  these  elements,  meter  and 
rhyme,  are  lacking  from  Hebrew  poetry  we  are  not 
unmindful  that  some  great  scholars  are  still  at  work 
in  Germany  and  in  this  country  trying  to  work  out 
the  theory  that  both  these  features  occur  in  the  Old 
Testament  originals;  thus  far,  however,  they  have 
not  established  their  contention.  At  any  rate,  the 
matter  is  not  essential  to  our  discussion,  for  the  dis- 
tinctive fact  of  Hebrew  parallelism  as  the  chief  phase 
in  the  form  of  biblical  poetry  still  remains  in  either 
case  without  question. 

There  are  three  chief  forms  of  Hebrew  poetry, 
which  we  may  briefly  instance  here:  (a)  the  Synony- 
mous, (6)   the  Antithetic,  and  (c)  the  Synthetic. 

(a)  In  the  simplest  form  of  Hebrew"  poetry  the 
writer  puts  his  message  into  two  lines,  the  second  being 
simply  a  continuation  or  an  enlargement  of  the  idea 
in  the  first,  or  perhaps  only  a  repetition  of  the  first 
in  a  slightly  different  phraseology.    Thus  the  second 


THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS      77 

line  may  be  almost  an  echo  of  the  first.  The  following 
citations  are  illustrations  of  this  form: 

I  am  become  a  stranger  unto  my  brethren,  Psa.  69.  8 

And  an  alien  unto  my  mother's  children. 

We  are  become  a  reproach  to  our  neighbors,  79.  4 

A  scorn  and  derision  to  those  that  are  round  about  us. 

Thou  hast  fed  them  with  the  bread  of  tears,  80.  5 

And  given  them  tears  to  drink  in  large  measure. 

Occasionally  this  sort  of  synonymous  parallelism 
is  extended  into  three  lines,  and  sometimes  these 
triplets  are  made  to  follow  in  a  series: 

For  it  is  a  statute  for  Israel,  Psa.  81.  4,  5 

An  ordinance  of  the  God  of  Jacob; 

He  appointed  it  in  Joseph  for  a  testimony. 

The  third  chapter  of  Job  contains  a  majestic  instance 
of  this  kind  of  structure,  which  is  styled  the  synony- 
mous or  cognate  form. 

(b)  A  second  phase  of  Hebrew  parallelism  is  the  an- 
tithetic, in  which  the  second  line  brings  out  a  contrast, 
or  antithesis,  which  stands  sharply  over  against  the 
utterance  of  the  first.  In  Proverbs  we  have  a  host 
of  such  utterances: 

The  righteous  shall  never  be  removed:  Prov.  10.  30 

But  the  wicked  shall  not  dwell  in  the  land. 

The  lip  of  truth  shall  be  established  forever:  12.  19 

But  a  lying  tongue  is  but  for  a  moment. 

Walk  with  wise  men,  and  thou  shalt  be  wise:  13.  20 

But  the  companion  of  fools  shall  smart  for  it. 

Better  is  little  with  the  fear  of  Jehovah,  15.  16 

Than  great  treasure  and  trouble  therewith. 

(c)  Another  form  of  biblical  poetry — the  construc- 
tive, or  synthetic — is  found,  in  which  the  successive 


78  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

lines  after  the  first  furnish  neither  a  repetition  of,  nor  a 
contrast  to,  the  opening  utterance,  but  rather  indicate 
a  supplemental  or  completing  addition.  This  form 
sometimes  contains  three,  four,  or  more  members, 
instead  of  the  simple  couplets  or  triplets  as  in  the 
phases  just  noted.  A  fine  instance  of  this  occurs  as 
follows,  where  a  single  thought  is  turned  over  and  over 
again,  with  beautiful  variations: 

Psa.  78.  1-8       Give  ear,  O  my  people,  to  my  law: 

Incline  your  ears  to  the  words  of  my  mouth. 

I  will  open  my  mouth  in  a  parable; 

I  will  utter  dark  sayings  of  old : 

Which  we  have  heard  and  known, 

And  our  fathers  have  told  us. 

We  will  not  hide  them  from  their  children, 

Telling  to  the  generation  to  come  the  praises  of  the  Lord, 

And  his  strength,  and  his  wondrous  works  that  he  hath  done 

For  he  established  a  testimony  in  Jacob, 

And  appointed  a  law  in  Israel, 

Which  he  commanded  our  fathers, 

That  they  should  make  them  known  to  their  children : 

That  the    generation  to  come  might  know  them,  even  the 

children  which  should  be  born; 
Who  should  arise  and  tell  them  to  their  children : 
That  they  might  set  their  hope  in  God, 
And  not  forget  the  works  of  God, 
But  keep  his  commandments: 
And  might  not  be  as  their  fathers, 
A  stubborn  and  rebellious  generation; 
A  generation  that  set  not  their  heart  aright, 
And  whose  spirit  was  not  steadfast  with  God. 

There  are  other  forms  of  poetry  that  may  be  noted, 
in  the  Bible,  but  they  do  not  differ  much  from  those 
we  have  outlined;  indeed,  they  are  mere  modifications 
of  the  three  which  have  just  been  studied,  and  they 
occur  so  seldom  that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  now  to 
do  more  than  mention  them.    A  glance,  however, 


THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS      79 

may  be  taken  at  the  alphabetical,  or  acrostical,  va- 
riety as  embodied,  for  example,  in  the  book  of  Lamen- 
tations. Chapters  one,  two,  and  four  of  that  book 
have  twenty-two  verses  each — the  number  of  letters 
in  the  Hebrew  alphabet;  and  in  the  Hebrew  the  verses 
follow  the  order  of  those  letters,  the  first  one  having 
as  its  initial  letter  Aleph,  the  second  Beth,  and  so  on 
to  the  end.  The  119th  Psalm  is  another  specimen  of 
a  like  arrangement.  There  are  in  that  production 
twenty-two  sections  of  eight  verses  each.  The  first 
section  has  Aleph  for  the  initial  letter  of  each  verse; 
the  second  section  opens  in  the  case  of  each  verse 
with  Beth;  and  so  on  through  the  Psalm.  In  the 
English  version  these  sections  are  simply  headed  with 
the  Hebrew  letter,  as  it  is  not  possible  to  reproduce  the 
acrostical  system  as  to  the  verses  in  our  language 
edify ingly.  This  whole  psalm,  it  may  be  noticed  by 
any  reader,  is  occupied  with  tributes  to  the  Bible, 
which  is  brought  to  our  attention  under  a  variety 
of  titles — such  as  the  law,  the  testimonies,  the  pre- 
cepts, the  commandments,  the  word,  the  ordinances 
of  Jehovah.  It  is  amazing  that  in  these  alphabetical 
arrangements  there  is  no  sign  of  artificiality  in  the 
thought  or  utterance.  The  poet  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  hindered  in  any  way,  in  uttering  his  mes- 
sage, by  the  necessity  of  working  out  his  acrostical 
design. 

We  have  already  noted  the  fact  that  the  Minor 
Prophetical  Books  are  just  as  really  poetical  in  their 
form  and  structure  as  the  Psalms,  and  that  when 
attention  is  paid  to  this  phase  of  them  in  printing 


80  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

these  parts  of  the  Bible  new  beauty  is  revealed  in 
them.  With  a  little  study  almost  any  discerning 
reader  of  these  books  may  indicate  for  himself  this 
characteristic.  The  book  of  Isaiah,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  historic  portions  (chiefly  found  in  chapters 
37-39),  is  a  great  series  of  prophetic  poems,  spoken 
at  various  times  and  beanng^^noifferent  themes. 
Bishop  Lowth,  who  was  the  discoverer,  we  might  say, 
of  the  poetical  structure  of  much  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, made  a  new  translation  of  Isaiah  a  century 
and  a  half  ago  which  was  published  in  metrical  form, 
and  which  became  a  monumental  work  largely  in 
view  of  that  aspect  of  it.  A  few  lines  may  be  cited 
from  it  to  indicate,  in  contrast  with  the  ordinary 
version,  what  a  difference  the  metrical  printing  of 
these  portions  of  the  Bible  makes.  First  look  at 
three  verses  as  printed  in  the  Revised  Version,  as 
plain  prose: 

Isa.  43.  1-3  But  now  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created  thee,  O  Jacob,  and 

he  that  formed  thee,  O  Israel :  Fear  not,  for  I  have  redeemed 
thee;  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name,  thou  art  mine.  When 
thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee;  and 
through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee:  when  thou 
walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be  burned;  neither 
shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee.  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy 
God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  saviour. 

Now  compare  this  passage  with  the  same  utterance 
cited  from  Bishop  Lowth's  poetical  version,  in  his 
New  Translation: 

Yet  now,  thus  saith  Jehovah, 

Who  created  thee,  O  Jacob;  and  who  framed  thee,  O  Israel; 

Fear  thou  not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee; 

I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name;  thou  art  mine. 


THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS     81 

When  thou  passest  through  waters,  I  am  with  thee; 

And  through  rivers,  they  shall  not  overwhelm  thee: 

When  thou  walkest  in  the  lire,  thou  shalt  not  be  scorched; 

And  the  flame  shall  not  take  hold  of  thee. 

For  I  am  Jehovah,  thy  God; 

The  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Redeemer. 

In  most  of  the  books  referred  to  the  parallelism  is 
so  evident,  even  in  the  lack  of  metrical  printing,  that 
in  many  cases  without  the  shifting  of  a  single  word  it 
will  be  found  easy  to  arrange  a  passage  in  parallel 
lines  so  as  to  set  forth  visibly  its  poetical  structure. 
Take  the  following  as  a  specimen,  in  which  the  verses 
as  found  in  the  Revised  Version  are  simply  reprinted 
in  metrical  parallel  lines  without  any  other  change: 

They  have  blown  the  trumpet,  and  have  made  all  ready";      Ezek.  7.  14-17 

But  none  goeth  to  the  battle: 

For  my  wrath  is  upon  all  the  multitude  thereof. 

The  sword  is  without, 

And  the  pestilence  and  the  famine  within : 

He  that  is  in  the  field  shall  die  with  the  sword; 

And  he  that  is  in  the  city,  famine  and  pestilence  shall 

devour  him.  .  .  . 
All  hands  shall  be  feeble, 
And  all  knees  shall  be  weak  as  water. 

The  warnings  and  denunciations  of  these  Books 
of  Prophecy,  spoken  by  Jehovah's  messengers  against 
Israel,  Judah,  and  the  surrounding  nations  in  view 
of  their  inveterate  wickedness,  their  idolatries,  and 
varied  disobedience,  are  terrible  enough  when  they 
confront  us  on  the  page  as  usually  printed,  but  their 
severity,  their  vividness,  and  their  inner  meaning 
cannot  be  fully  appreciated  until  we  read  them  in  a 
metrical  version.    One  of  the  outcries  spoken  against 


82  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Moab,  for  example,  assumes  new  emphasis  when  thus 
set  before  the  eye: 

Jer.  48.  8,  10-       And  the  spoiler  shall  come  upon  every  city, 
12  And  no  city  shall  escape; 

The  valley  also  shall  perish, 

And  the  plain  shall  be  destroyed; 

As  the  Lord  hath  spoken.  .  .  . 

Cursed  be  he  that  doeth  the  work  of  the  Lord  negligently, 

And  cursed  be  he  that  keepeth  back  his  sword  from  blood. 

Moab  hath  been  at  ease  from  his  youth, 

And  he  hath  settled  on  his  lees, 

And  hath  not  been  emptied  from  vessel  to  vessel, 

Neither  hath  he  gone  into  captivity: 

Therefore  his  taste  remaineth  in  him, 

And  his  scent  is  not  changed. 

Therefore,  behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord, 

That  I  will  send  unto  him  them  that  pour  off, 

And  they  shall  pour  him  off; 

And  they  shall  empty  his  vessels, 

And  break  their  bottles  in  pieces. 

In  like  manner  the  words  of  encouragement  and 

promise  which  these  prophets  often  spoke,  even  in 

dark    hours    of    national    degeneration    and    doom, 

become   more    precious   and   beautiful   when   their 

poetical  character  and  structure  are  made  apparent 

in  print.     A  single  specimen  must  suffice,  although 

there  are  hundreds  which  invite  attention: 

Hos.  14.  4-7  I  will  heal  their  backsliding, 

I  will  love  them  freely; 
For  mine  anger  is  turned  away  from  him. 
I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel: 
He  shall  blossom  as  the  lily, 
And  cast  forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon. 
They  that  dwell  under  his  shadow  shall  return] 
They  shall  revive  as  the  corn,  and  blossom  as  the  vine; 
The  scent  thereof  shall  be  as  the  wine  of  Lebanon. 

We  have  occupied  considerable  space  in  this  out- 
line of  the  peculiarities  of  the  structure — the  outward 


THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS      83 

form — of  the  poetry  of  the  Old  Testament,  because 
this  phase  of  the  Bible  is  ordinarily  but  little  heeded. 
The  field,  indeed,  thus  surveyed  is  for  most  readers 
utterly  un tilled;  we  might  better  say  completely 
unexplored,  a  terra  ignota.  Yet  when  one  has  his 
attention  directed  to  the  hitherto  unsuspected  at- 
tractions which  are  involved  in  the  metrical  form  of 
this  portion  of  the  Scripture  it  becomes  invested  with 
an  affluence,  a  beauty,  and  often  a  splendor,  which 
add  to  our  intellectual  and  spiritual  possessions 
measureless  and  permanent  treasures. 

While  the  New  Testament  possesses  no  poetical 
books,  yet  it  will  be  found  on  examination  that  there 
are  many  passages  in  that  section  of  the  Book  which 
are  genuinely  poetical  in  form.  Passage  after  pas- 
sage from  the  words  of  our  Lord  might  be  cited  which 
reveal  this  sort  of  structure. 

That  our  Lord  might  be  numbered  among  the  poets 
of  Israel  may  seem  an  unusual  suggestion,  and  yet 
it  is  not  straining  the  truth  to  put  the  declaration 
in  that  fashion.  All  that  is  required  is  the  casting  of 
his  utterances  into  the  mold  of  a  new  typographical 
setting,  and,  behold,  their  poetical  structure  is  imme- 
diately made  manifest.  Take  some  specimens,  chosen 
almost  without  heed,  and  reprinted,  without  any 
change  in  the  order  of  words,  but  in  parallel  lines: 

And  he  said  to  him  also  that  had  bidden  him,  Luke  14. 12-14 

When  thou  makest  a  dinner  or  a  supper, 

Call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy  brethren, 

Nor  thy  kinsmen,  nor  rich  neighbors; 

Lest  haply  they  also  bid  thee  again, 

And  a  recompense  be  made  thee. 


84  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

But  when  thou  makest  a  feast, 

Bid  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind: 

And  thou  shalt  be  blessed; 

Because  they  have  not  wherewith  to  recompense  thee: 

For  thou  shalt  be  recompensed  in  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

Matt.  6.  19-21  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  the  earth, 

Where  moth  and  rust  doth  consume, 
And  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal: 
But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven, 
Where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  consume, 
And  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal : 
For  where  thy  treasure  is, 
There  will  thy  heart  be  also. 

The  denunciations  uttered  by  our  Lord  in  the 
closing  week  of  his  ministr}'  in  Jerusalem,  when  his 
foes  were  plotting  to  destroy  him,  sound  like  the 
words  of  Jeremiah  or  Ezekiel,  and  the  resemblance 
becomes  still  more  striking  when  the  passages  con- 
taining them  are  properly  printed  so  as  to  reveal  their 
poetical  structure: 

Matt.  23.  25-       Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
28  For  ye  cleanse  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter, 

But  within  they  are  full  from  extortion  and  excess. 
Thou  blind  Pharisee, 

Cleanse  first  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter, 
That  the  outside  thereof  may  become  clean  also. 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 

For  ye  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchers, 

Which  outwardly  appear  beautiful, 

But  inwardly  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones, 

And  of  all  uncleanness. 

Even  so  ye  also  outwardly  appear  righteous  unto  men, 

But  inwardly  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity. 

Perhaps  we  may  have  some  day  a  version  of  the  New 
Testament  in  which  all  the  utterances  of  our  Lord 
which  are  genuinely  metrical  shall  be  printed  so  as 
to  show  that  phase  of  them.     It  should  be  evident 


THE  POETRY  OF  SCRIPTURE:  ITS  FORMS     85 

to  any  one  who  studies  the  case  that  such  an  edition 
of  the  Gospel  would  give  it  a  new  charm. 

After  this  study  of  the  forms  of  Hebrew  poetry 
we  are  now  ready  to  examine  its  substance.  What 
about  its  spirit,  its  purpose,  its  range?  With  what 
topics  does  it  deal?  With  what  aim  was  it  written? 
These  questions  in  part  will  be  dealt  with  in  the  next 
chapter. 


p 


CHAPTER  VII 
HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA 


87 


And  Moses  went  up  from  the  plains  of  Moab  unto  mount 
Nebo,  to  the  top  of  Pisgah,  that  is  over  against  Jericho. 
And  the  Lord  shewed  him  all  the  land  of  Gilead,  unto  Dan; 
and  all  Naphtali,  and  the  land  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh, 
and  all  the  land  of  Judah,  unto  the  hinder  sea;  and  the  South, 
and  the  Plain  of  the  valley  of  Jericho  the  city  of  palm  trees, 
unto  Zoar.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  This  is  the  land 
which  I  sware  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob, 
saying,  I  will  give  it  unto  thy  seed :  I  have  caused  thee  to  see 
it  with  thine  eyes,  but  thou  shalt  not  go  over  thither.  So 
Moses  the  servant  of  the  Lord  died  there  in  the  land  of  Moab, 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord.  And  he  buried  him  in 
the  valley  in  the  land  of  Moab  over  against  Beth-peor:  but 
no  man  knoweth  of  his  sepulcher  unto  this  day. 

— Deut.  34.  1-6. 

The  heavens  declare  thy  glory,  Lord; 

In  every  star  thy  wisdom  shines; 
But  when  our  eyes  behold  thy  word 

We  read  thy  name  in  fairer  lines. 

The  rolling  sun,  the  changing  light, 

And  nights  and  days,  thy  power  confess, 

But  the  blest  volume  thou  hast  writ 
Reveals  thy  justice  and  thy  grace. 

— Isaac  Watts. 


88 


CHAPTER  VII  «- 

HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA 

In  studying  the  substance  and  spirit  of  Hebrew 
poetry  we  face  the  distinctive  fact  that  it  is,  taken 
throughout,  a  body  of  religious  literature.  The  Song 
of  Songs  may  be  an  exception  to  this  law,  for  it 
seems  devoid  of  any  religious  teaching  except  that 
which  certain  traditional  interpreters  read  into  it 
between  the  lines,  and  then  force  out  from  it  by 
expository  processes  which  cannot  wisely  be  applied 
to  any  other  book  of  the  Bible.  But  the  rule  holds 
good  for  all  other  poetical  writing  in  the  Bible;  it  all 
deals  with  the  interests  of  the  human  soul,  with  man 
as  a  religious  being,  with  the  higher  life  and  the  loftier 
destinies  of  the  race.  These  Hebrew  seers  saw  God 
everywhere,  in  nature,  in  history,  in  humanity,  in 
government,  in  the  stars,  and  in  the  human  soul,  in 
the  events  of  time  and  in  the  administration  of 
eternity. 

This  trait,  taken  in  its  relation  to  the  insight, 
beauty,  dignity,  and  power  of  these  sections  of  Scrip- 
ture, sets  the  poetry  of  the  Bible  off  by  itself.  It 
brings  home  to  us  the  truth  that  this  chosen  nation, 
the  Jews,  had  a  literature  the  creation  of  which  ran 
through  at  least  a  whole  millennium,  and  which  in 
all  of  its  aspects,  themes,  and  life  was  religious 
through  and  through. 


90  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

In  the  poetry  of  the  Bible  we  find,  as  one  of  its 
notable  phases,  a  devout  recognition  and  appreciation 
of  the  works  of  God  in  nature.  The  beauty,  the 
grandeur,  the  meaning,  and  the  mystery  of  the  out- 
ward world  are  therein  discerned,  unfolded,  glorified 
with  vividness  beyond  parallel  in  their  relation  to 
Him  who  created  them  and  who  sustains  them  in 
being.  The  rights  of  divine  ownership  which  the 
Almighty  has  invested  in  the  universe,  and  the  care 
which  he  has  exercised  toward  the  work  of  his  hands, 
are  exalted  beyond  measure  by  the  bards  of  the  Bible. 
What  a  magnificent  passage  is  that,  for  instance, 
from  which  we  take  the  following: 

Psa.  95.  4-7       In  his  hand  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth; 
The  heights  of  the  mountains  are  his  also. 
The  sea  is  his,  and  he  made  it ; 
And  his  hands  formed  the  dry  land. 
O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down; 
Let  us  kneel  before  the  Lord  our  Maker: 
For  he  is  our  God, 
And  we  are  the  people  of  his  pasture,  and  the  sheep  of  his  hand. 

How  noble  and  stately  is  the  representation  of 
divine  ownership  and  rulership  contained  in  the  fol- 
lowing familiar  declaration,  which  belongs,  of  course, 
to  the  list  of  biblical  utterances  which  people  generally 
should  know  by  heart: 

Psa.  19.  1-4  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God; 

And  the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork. 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 

And  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge. 

There  is  no  speech  nor  language; 

Their  voice  cannot  be  heard. 

Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth, 

And  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world. 


HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA       91 

An  interesting  volume  might  easily  be  collated 
dealing  with  the  notable  sayings  of  Scripture  con- 
cerning the  mountains  and  the  seas.  There  are 
scores  of  these,  and  they  surpass  in  magnificence, 
and  in  insight  and  sympathy  with  nature,  all  that 
may  be  found  on  these  subjects  elsewhere.  It  is 
difficult  for  us  to  account  for  the  fact  that  apprecia- 
tion of  the  greatness  and  the  mystical  significance 
of  the  hills  and  the  ocean  is  a  heritage  of  recent  date, 
so  far  as  literature  is  concerned.  It  belongs  almost 
exclusively  to  the  years  beginning  with  Scott,  and 
Cowper,  and  Byron — not  much  over  a  hundred  years 
ago.  Wordsworth  led  the  world,  in  that  period,  in 
the  study  of  nature,  in  the  mission  of  unfolding  her 
innermost  meaning,  and  in  illumining  her  mysteries 
with  the  light  of  his  discerning  intelligence.  We 
read  ancient  writings — the  lyrics  and  dramas  of  great 
poets,  the  adventures  of  notable  tourists,  the  story 
of  travel  on  the  sea  and  across  the  Alps — and  hardly 
anywhere  in  the  records  do  we  find  a  suggestion  that 
the  grandeur  of  mountain  scenery  and  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  ocean  made  any  deep  impression  on 
these  writers.  The  same  observation  is  true  of 
mediaeval  writers  and  of  those  who  wrote  down  al- 
most to  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It 
would  seem  that  the  light  did  not  break  from  moun- 
tain top  and  from  dashing  wave  upon  human  sight 
in  its  fullness  of  meaning  until  about  a  century  ago. 
But  the  Hebrew  poets,  ages  ago,  anticipated  this 
nineteenth-century  birth  of  interest  and  appreciation 
and  delight  in  nature-study,  and  expressed  in  their 


92  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

poetry  descriptions  of  these  great  natural  objects 
and  allusions  to  them  which  are  immortal  in  beauty 
and  profound  in  meaning.  They  were  the  first  men 
of  our  race  to  give  adequate  expression  to  the  feelings 
of  reverence,  awe,  beauty,  aspiration,  occasioned  in 
the  human  heart  when  the  inmost  messages  of  nature 
are  discerned,  the  first  to  lead  the  human  race  in 
such  a  chorus  of  praise  as  this: 

Deut.  33.  13-       Blessed  of  the  Lord  be  his  land; 

16  For  the  precious  things  of  heaven,  for  the  dew, 

And  for  the  deep  that  coucheth  beneath, 
And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  fruits  of  the  sun, 
And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  growth  of  the  moons, 
And  for  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient  mountains, 
And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  everlasting  hills, 
And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  earth  and  the  fullness 
thereof. 

To-day  there  are  many  poems  which  suggest  the 
glory  of  the  hill  country,  the  sublimity  of  the  moun- 
tains, the  higher  values  of  peak  and  range,  when  their 
voice  is  interpreted  to  man's  nature  and  he  is  taught 
to  respond  to  their  appeal.  We  think  of  Words- 
worth's poetry;  and  of  Coleridge,  whose  Morning 
Hymn  to  Mont  Blanc  stands  foremost  among  the  na- 
ture lyrics  of  the  ages;  and  of  Ruskin's  ministry  as  the 
revealer  of  the  deeper  secrets  of  sky  and  cloud  and 
landscape,  and  we  marvel  what  sort  of  an  age  it  was 
in  the  years  previous  to  the  time  when  these  men 
began  to  speak  forth  to  the  world  in  prose  and  poetry 
the  real  significance  of  the  works  of  the  Creator. 
But  after  we  have  gone  over  all  that  they  have  written 
we  must  turn  at  last  to  the  Hebrew  prophets  for  the 
Deut.  33. 15      final  word  which  exhibits  "the  precious  things  of  the 


HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA       93 

everlasting  hills' ' — things  more  precious  than  metals 
that  are  concealed  in  their  caverns,  and  springs  that 
flow  from  their  cloven  ridges,  and  timber  that  covers 
their  flanks,  and  rocks  that  underpin  their  founda- 
tions. Where  can  we  match  utterances  like  these, 
taken  almost  at  random  from  the  Scripture? 

The  blessings  of  thy  father  Gen.  49.  26 

Have  prevailed  above  the  blessings  of  my  progenitors 
Unto  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting  hills: 

Then  the  earth  shook  and  trembled,  Psa.    18.  7 

The  foundations  also  of  the  mountains  moved 
And  were  shaken. 

The  hills  are  girded  with  joy.  65.  12 

Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  90.  1,  2 

In  all  generations. 

Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 

Or  ever  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world, 

Even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  thou  art  God. 

The  strength  of  the  hills  is  his  also.  95.  4 

The  hills  melted  like  wax  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  97.  5 

Let  the  floods  clap  their  hands;  98.  8 

Let  the  hills  sing  for  joy  together 
Before  the  Lord. 

I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  121.  1 

From  whence  cometh  my  help. 

Who  hath  .  .  .  weighed  the  mountains  in  scales,  Isa.  40.  12 

And  the  hills  in  a  balance? 

The  mountains  and  the  hills  shall    burst  forth  before  55.  12 

you  into  song, 
And  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands. 

They  shall  say  to  the  mountains,  Cover  us,  Hos.  10.  8 

And  to  the  hills,  Fall  on  us! 

Hear  ye  now  what  Jehovah  saith :  Mic.  6.  1,  2 

Arise,  contend  thou  before  the  mountains, 

And  let  the  hills  hear  thy  voice. 

Hear,  O  ye  mountains,  Jehovah's  controversy, 

And  ye  enduring  foundations  of  the  earth. 


94  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Hab.  3.  6,  10  He  stood,  and  measured  the  earth; 

He  beheld,  and  drove  asunder  the  nations: 
And  the  eternal  mountains  were  scattered, 
The  everlasting  hills  did  bow;  .  .  . 
The  mountains  saw  thee  and  were  afraid. 

Psa.  125.  1,  2  They  that  trust  in  Jehovah 

Are  as  mount  Zion,  which  cannot  be  moved,  but  abideth 

for  ever. 
As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem, 
So  Jehovah  is  round  about  his  people, 
From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore. 

Isa.  2.  2  The  mountain  of  the  house  of  Jehovah  shall  be  established 

on  the  top  of  the  mountains; 
And  it  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills: 
And  all  nations  shall  flow  into  it. 

Psa.  46.  1-3  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength, 

A  very  present  help  in  trouble. 

Therefore  will  we  not  fear,  though  the  earth  do  change, 
And  though  the  mountains  be  moved  in  the  heart  of  the 

seas; 
Though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled, 
Though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof. 

Isa.  49.  13  Sing  aloud,  O  ye  heavens;  and  rejoice,  O  earth: 

Ye  mountains,  burst  forth  into  song: 
For  Jehovah  hath  comforted  his  people, 
And  will  have  compassion  on  his  afflicted. 

Psa.  36.  6  Thy  righteousness  is  like  the  great  mountains. 

72.  3  The  mountains  shall  bring  peace  to  the  people. 

This  elaborate  presentation  of  the  biblical  teachings 
concerning  the  great  mountains  seems  necessary 
in  order  to  make  anything  like  an  adequate  survey 
of  one  of  the  most  magnificent  phases  of  the  poetry 
of  the  Bible,  and  in  order  to  emphasize  our  suggestion 
that  after  all  that  great  English  poets  have  done  as 
interpreters  of  nature  we  find  the  most  majestic  and 
commanding  utterances  concerning  the  everlasting 
hills  in  these  ancient  writings. 


HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA      95 

A  little  further  inquiry  would  show  that  the  most 
significant  events  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  some 
of  the  extraordinary  incidents  of  the  New — such  as 
the  Temptation,  the  Transfiguration,  and  the  Ascen- 
sion— found  their  setting  and  background  fitly 
framed  upon  mountain  tops.  Hither  also  our  Lord 
often  resorted  for  prayer  in  the  nighttime,  and  it  is 
clear  from  that  fact  that  he,  who  was  reared  among 
the  foothills  of  the  Lebanon  range,  was  a  lover  of  the 
mountains.  The  Scriptures  thus  make  a  special  appeal 
to  those  who  are  lovers  of  the  beautiful  and  great  in 
natural  scenery,  and  to  whom  a  great  mountain, 

"Standing  alone  'twixt  the  earth  and  the  heaven, 
Heir  of  the  sunset  and  herald  of  morn," 

is  one  of  the  most  moving  and  inspiring  spectacles 
that  earth  affords. 

Another  theme  which  called  forth  the  loftiest 
strains  of  Hebrew  poets  was  the  splendor  of  the  sea. 
The  land  of  Israel  bordered  on  the  Mediterranean; 
years  before  the  nation  occupied  its  inheritance  it 
was  declared  that  "the  great  sea"  should  be  their 
western  border.  Centuries  before  that  time  the  "sand  Num.  34.  6 
which  is  upon  the  seashore"  was  made  to  Abraham  Gen.  22. 17 
a  symbol  of  the  number  of  his  spiritual  progeny. 
The  triumphal  exit  of  the  liberated  hordes  of  Israel 
from  Egypt  under  the  leadership  of  Moses  through 
the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  was  by  the  genius  of  Asaph 
embedded  in  one  of  their  national  songs  of  praise  for 
all  time: 

He  clave  the  sea,  and  caused  them  to  pass  through;         Psa.  78.  13 

And  he  made  the  waters  to  stand  as  an  heap. 


96  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Thus  in  their  traditions,  their  hymns,  and  their 
geographical  situation — affording  opportunity  for 
those  who  dwelt  on  the  coast  or  who  viewed  the 
tumbling  waters  from  hill  or  mountain  top,  shining 
afar  off  in  the  light  of  the  sun,  to  study  their  beauty, 
their  grandeur,  their  changing  phases  of  storm  and 
calm,  and  to  gather  from  the  spectacle  lessons  and 
suggestions  not  merely  for  their  own  generation  but 
for  all  time — there  are  to  be  found  abundant  reasons 
for  the  fact  now  before  us,  that  the  poets  of  the  Bible 
became,  beyond  all  others  who  ever  studied  the 
Gen.  1. 10  "gathering  together  of  the  waters"  which  were 
called  in  the  beginning  "seas,"  interpreters  of  their 
greatness,  their  symbolism,  their  majesty,  and  their 
spiritual  significance  for  mankind. 

The  note  that  we  made  with  regard  to  the  study 
of  mountain  scenery  in  our  time  is  true  also  concern- 
ing the  ocean :  only  within  the  past  hundred  years 
have  poets  adequately  discerned  and  unfolded  the 
varied  characteristics  of  the  sea.  The  works  of  the 
great  classical  writers  contain  but  little  on  this  subject 
worthy  to  stand  alongside  of  what  has  been  written 
by  the  modern  school  of  poets,  beginning  with  Byron 
and  Scott.  Shakespeare  has  hardly  anywhere  a  line 
to  suggest  that  he  was  ever  impressed  by  the  great- 
ness of  the  ocean,  and  those  who  followed  him,  up 
to  the  opening  of  the  recent  century,  appeared  to  see 
nothing  in  the  theme  to  quicken  their  fancy  or  awaken 
their  enthusiasm  or  vivify  their  muse.  But  the 
tributes  which  the  Hebrew  poets  paid  to  the  sea  are 
unspeakably  great.    There  lie  before  me,  as  I  write, 


A 


HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA      97 

several  volumes  entirely  devoted  to  poetry  of  the  sea; 
many  of  the  poems  in  these  books  are  immortal,  but 
they  are  all  products  of  the  last  hundred  years,  and 
most  of  them  have  been  written  in  that  era  of  nature- 
study  in  which,  fortunately  for  us,  our  lots  are  cast. 
But  those  who  would  hence  conclude  that  the  ocean 
did  not  inspire  men  to  write  until  recent  years  need 
to  refresh  their  studies  and  recast  their  conclusions, 
for  the  work  of  the  Hebrew  poets  anticipates,  pre- 
cedes, and  surpasses,  we  opine,  all  that  has  been  done 
since  their  day.  In  support  of  this  judgment  we  may 
bring  forth  from  the  Bible  the  chief  allusions  to  the 
sea,  and  take  only  a  glimpse  of  them  as  they  are  thus 
massed  together.  Noble  and  stirring  as  many  of 
these  are  when  viewed  individually,  they  make  their 
due  impression  only  when  they  are  seen  in  the  aggre- 
gate. These  ancient  songs,  when  their  voices  rise 
together  and  their  music  is  chorded  into  harmony, 
make  a  chorus  of  majesty  and  beauty  unexampled 
elsewhere  in  the  world  of  poetic  utterance.  Com- 
ment is  scarcely  needed  to  emphasize  the  magnificence 
of  these  citations — they  appeal  of  themselves  to  the 
ordinary  reader,  just  as  the  sea  itself  makes  its  own 
appeal  to  the  beholder  who  stands  upon  the  shore 
and  notes  the  waters  come  sweeping  in,  or  who  in  the 
midst  of  the  ocean  expanse  finds  on  all  sides  a  fresh 
revelation  of  the  power  and  greatness  of  the  Ruler 
of  wind  and  wave: 

Canst  thou  by  searching  find  out  God?  .  .  .  Job  11.  7,  9 

The  measure  thereof  is  longer  than  the  earth, 
And  broader  than  the  sea. 


98  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Job  38.  8,  11     Who  shut  up  the  sea  with  doors,  .  .  . 

And  said,  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further; 
And  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed? 

Psa.  33.   7         He  gathereth  the  waters  of  the  sea  together  as  an  heap; 
He  layeth  up  the  deeps  in  storehouses. 

72.    8         He  shall  have  dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea. 

77.19         Thy  way  was  in  the  sea, 

And  thy  paths  in  the  great  waters. 

89.  8,  9       Who  is  a  mighty  one  like  unto  thee,  O  Jehovah?  .  .  . 
Thou  rulest  the  pride  of  the  sea : 
When  the  waves  thereof  arise,  thou  stillest  them. 

93.  3,  4       The  floods  have  lifted  up,  O  Jehovah, 
The  floods  have  lifted  up  their  voice; 
The  floods  lift  up  their  waves. 
Above  the  voices  of  many  waters, 
The  mighty  breakers  of  the  sea, 
Jehovah  on  high  is  mighty! 

104.25,26  There  is  the  sea,  great  and  wide, 

Wherein  are  things  creeping  innumerable, 
Both  small  and  great  beasts. 
There  go  the  ships. 
Isa.  23.  11  He  hath  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  sea, 

He  hath  shaken  the  kingdoms. 
43.  16  Thus  saith  Jehovah, 

Who  maketh  a  way  in  the  sea, 
And  a  path  in  the  mighty  waters. 

J  57.  20,  21    But  the  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea; 
]  For  it  cannot  rest, 

I  And  its  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt. 

There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked. 

Ezek.26.18,19   Now  shall  the  isles  tremble  in  the  day  of  thy  fall; 

Yea,  the  isles  that  are  in  the  sea  shall  be   dismayed  at  thy 

departure.  .  .  . 
When  I  shall  bring  up  the  deep  upon  thee, 
And  the  great  waters  shall  cover  thee. 

Mic.  7.  19  He  will  tread  our  iniquities  under  foot; 

And  thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into  the  depths  of  the   sea. 

Hab.  2. 14         For  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  Jehovah, 
As  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 


HEBREW  POETRY:  MOUNTAIN  AND  SEA       99 
And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  that  were  in  it. 

And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth ; 

For  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  passed  away; 

And  there  was  no  more  sea. 

They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships, 

That  do  business  in  great  waters; 

These  see  the  works  of  the  Lord, 

And  his  wonders  in  the  deep. 

For  he  eommandeth,  and  raiseth  the  stormy  wind, 

Which  lifteth  up  the  waves  thereof. 

They  mount  up  to  the   heaven,  they  go  down  again  to  the 

depths: 
Their  soul  melteth  away  because  of  trouble. 
They  reel  to  and  fro,  and  stagger  like  a  drunken  man, 
And  are  at  their  wits'  end. 
Then  they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble, 
And  he  bringeth  them  out  of  their  distresses. 
He  maketh  the  storm  a  calm, 
So  that  the  waves  thereof  are  still. 
Then  are  they  glad  because  they  be  quiet; 
So  he  bringeth   them  unto  the  haven  where  they  would  be. 
Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness, 
And  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men! 


Other  phases  of  this  portion  of  the  Bible  may  be 
briefly  dealt  with  later  in  the  volume,  particularly 
the  fact  that  the  Psalms — in  their  ministry  to  the 
conscience,  in  their  awakening,  melting,  and  devo- 
tional functions,  in  the  keenness  with  which  they 
touch  the  very  quick  of  the  soul,  and  move  every 
faculty  and  power,  and  in  the  skill  with  which  they 
portray  all  possible  phases  of  the  life  of  the  spirit, 
from  the  depths  of  remorse  and  despair  to  the  heights 
of  heavenly  rapture — stand  alone  in  religious  litera- 
ture. They  voice  every  emotion  of  sinner  and  saint; 
they  paint  with  accuracy  the  various  stages  of  sin 
and  salvation;  and  accordingly  they  have  for  ages 


Rev. 

20. 

13 

21. 

1 

Psa. 
31 

107 

.   23 

100  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

revealed  their  purpose  and  efficiency  as  the  praise 
and  prayer  book  of  the  human  race. 

A  brief  remark  remains  yet  to  be  written:  The 
citations  made  in  this  chapter  and  the  preceding  one 
may  seem  to  be  lavish;  in  fact,  they  might  have  been 
manifolded  without  depleting  the  treasure-house  of 
beauty  and  spiritual  wealth  from  which  they  have 
been  chosen.  The  poetry  of  the  Bible  is  an  exhaust- 
less  deposit  of  riches;  were  we  to  compare  it  to  a  mine 
we  might  simply  say:  These  are  sample  nuggets;  the 
mine  is  full  of  such!  **- 


CHAPTER  VIII 

BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS 


101 


Let  us  now  praise  famous  men, 

And   our  fathers   that   begat   us. 

The  Lord  manifested  in  them  great  glory, 

Even  his  mighty  power  from  the  beginning. 

Such  as  did  bear  rule  in  their  kingdoms, 

And  were  men  renowned  for  their  power, 

Giving  counsel  by  their  understanding, 

Such  as  have  brought  tidings  in  prophecies; 

Leaders  of  the  people  by  their  counsels, 

And  by  their  understanding   men   of   learning  for  the 

people.  .  .  . 
All  these  were  honored  in  their  generations, 
And  were  a  glory  in  their  days.  .  .  . 
Their  seed  shall  remain  forever, 
And  their  glory  shall  not  be  blotted  out. 
Their  bodies  were  buried  in  peace, 
And  their  name  liveth  to  all  generations. 

— Ecclesiasticus  44.  1-4,  7,  13,  14  (the  Apocrypha). 


And  what  shall  I  more  say?  for  the  time  will  fail  me  if  I 
tell  of  Gideon,  Barak,  Samson,  Jephthah;  of  David  and 
Samuel  and  the  prophets:  who  through  faith  subdued  king- 
doms, wrought  righteousness,  obtained  promises,  stopped 
the  mouths  of  lions,  quenched  the  power  of  fire,  escaped  the 
edge  of  the  sword,  from  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed 
mighty  in  war,  turned  to  flight  armies  of  aliens. 

— Heb.  11.  32-34. 


Great  God,  with  wonder  and  with  praise 

On  all  thy  works  we  look; 
But  still  thy  wisdom,  power,  and  grace 

Shine  brightest  in  thy  book. 

Here  are  our  choicest  treasures  hid, 

Here  our  best  comfort  lies; 
Here  our  desires  are  satisfied, 

And  hence  our  hopes  arise. 

Lord,  make  us  understand  thy  law, 
Show  what  our  faults  have  been; 

And  from  thy  gospel  let  us  draw 
The  hope  of  pardoned  sin. 

— Isaac  Watts. 


102 


CHAPTER  VIII 

BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS 

Foremost  among  the  wondrous  things  contained 
in  Scripture  is  its  wealth  of  biographical  detail,  inci- 
dent, and  characterization.  Hosts  of  men  and  wo- 
men, of  different  ranks,  of  varying  circumstances, 
manifold  in  temperament,  and  representing  all  phases 
of  human  nature,  are  depicted  in  the  Bible  with  a 
vividness,  an  insight,  a  dissective  and  a  penetrating 
skill  which,  taken  together,  set  this  volume  apart  by 
itself  among  the  books  of  the  world.  In  this  aspect 
of  the  Book  we  have  a  universal  portrait  gallery  of 
our  race,  where  we  may  wander  at  will,  studying  the 
faces  and  scrutinizing  the  lives  and  even  looking 
down  deep  into  the  hearts  of  countless  folk,  good, 
bad,  indifferent;  men  of  strength  and  miserable 
weaklings;  patterns  of  wisdom  and  exemplars  of 
folly;  men  who  have  overcome  every  adverse  cir- 
cumstance and  every  disadvantage  of  birth,  environ- 
ment, lineage,  and  temptation  that  can  be  suggested, 
and  are  pinnacled  in  the  Book  as  instances  of  what 
a  man  may  do  and  may  become  with  God's  help  and 
under  the  operation  of  a  virile  and  heroic  purpose; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  pictures  of  men  who  with 
every  incentive  and  surrounding  to  aid  them  have 
made  shipwreck  of  faith,  and  have  left  on  record  their 

103 


104  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

life-history  as  a  warning  to  all  later  generations:  a 
portrait  gallery  which  holds  with  growing  interest 
the  attention  of  the  world,  and  which  gains  instead 
of  losing  appreciation  and  admiration  as  the  years 
grow  into  centuries,  since  each  new  discovery  in 
Bible  lands  and  each  successful  attempt  to  freshen 
and  vivify  our  English  versions  of  Scripture  help 
to  bring  out  more  strikingly  the  lineaments  and  the 
salient  elements  of  character  which  mark  these 
ancient  biographies.  It  should  be  evident,  even 
upon  slight  examination,  that  the  human  element 
thus  brought  to  notice  by  the  mention  of  the  "lives" 
of  all  sorts  of  people  enshrined  in  Scripture  con- 
stitutes a  charm  not  to  be  ignored. 

This  feature  of  the  Bible  accounts  in  part  for  the 
hold  which  the  Book  secures  early  in  life  upon  the 
heart  of  childhood.  To  little  ones  the  mother  and 
the  teacher  tell  the  exquisite  stories  which  abound  in 
the  Book,  picturing  them  forth  with  that  spontaneous 
exercise  of  dramatic  and  graphic  skill  which  forms 
an  essential  function  in  the  work  of  those  who  have 
to  deal  with  children  at  school  or  in  the  home,  and 
repeating  the  process  year  after  year  until  the  pupils 
are  able  to  read  for  themselves  portions  of  the  Scrip- 
ture story.  The  imagination  of  childhood  is  thus  peo- 
pled with  visions  of  adventure,  with  noble  ideals,  with 
heroic  characters,  with  pictures  whereby  in  the  most 
effective  way  valuable  truths  are  incorporated  into 
the  life  in  its  formative  stages.  Without  this  bio- 
graphical element  the  Bible  could  never  have  fastened 
itself  upon  the  universal  heart  of  childhood,  as  it  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS  105 

done,  generation  after  generation,  wherever  its  teach- 
ings have  become  known. 

As  to  the  effectiveness  of  this  sort  of  teaching  in 
general  through  the  agency  supplied  by  notable 
biographies,  there  are  many  witnesses,  and  but  one 
opinion.  Plutarch,  for  instance,  was  one  of  the 
greatest  scholars  and  writers  of  his  time — eighteen 
centuries  ago — a  teacher  of  philosophy,  a  master  of 
his  own  Greek  tongue  and  of  the  Latin  as  well;  a 
profound  student  of  ethics,  and  of  natural  science; 
yet  he  is  known  to-day  chiefly  because  of  the  biog- 
raphies which  he  wrote.  In  his  later  years  he  set 
out  to  picture  forth  to  the  world  forty-six  "Parallel 
Lives,"  half  of  them  chosen  from  the  realm  of  Grecian 
life  and  half  from  the  Roman  annals.  He  did  this 
so  skillfully,  so  vigorously,  so  delightfully,  that  his 
work  as  well  as  his  name  is  immortal.  While  criti- 
cism has  been  busy,  especially  in  recent  years,  in  the 
resolute  effort  to  sift  out  from  ancient  classical  writ- 
ings the  inaccuracies  and  misrepresentations  and 
partisan  bias  which  some  of  them  contain,  yet  on  the 
whole  the  data  in  Plutarch's  "Lives"  remain  the 
chief  authority  in  regard  to  the  men  whom  he  por- 
trays. Minor  defects  have  been  discovered  in  the 
book,  but  the  general  impression  which  the  reader 
forms  after  studying  his  work  is  now  recognized  by 
all  scholars  as  the  correct  one.  Those  who  desire  to 
see  the  leading  men  of  Greece — orators,  legislators, 
generals,  rulers — coupled  each  with  a  man  some- 
what similar  in  tastes,  character,  or  career  selected 
from  the  life  of  Rome,  can   find  the  task  accom- 


106  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

plishecl  nowhere  else  so  well  as  in  this  notable  an- 
cient work,  which  is  still  alive,  although  nearly 
every  other  vestige  of  the  literature  which  was  con- 
temporary with  Plutarch  is  covered  with  the  dust 
of  oblivion. 

Literature  in  our  own  day  is  affluent  in  the  depart- 
ment of  biography — so  that  one  suffers  "the  embar- 
rassment of  riches"  in  selecting  a  few  of  the  best 
works  as  specimens  of  the  charm  which  inheres  in 
this  kind  of  writing  when  at  its  best.  The  service, 
for  example,  which  James  Boswell  rendered  the  world 
by  his  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson — who  had  himself 
secured  a  good  part  of  his  literary  influence  by  his 
Lives  of  the  Poets— is  proverbial.  But  for  the  biog- 
raphy written  by  Boswell  the  great  lexicographer 
might  have  been  in  our  day  merely  a  shadowy  name; 
but  through  that  unrivaled  specimen  of  a  literary 
memoir  we  are  permitted  to  know  Dr.  Johnson  as 
though  we  had  lived  in  London  in  his  time.  His 
greatness,  his  foibles  and  defects,  his  literary  dis- 
cernment, his  vast  knowledge,  his  constitutional 
indolence,  his  moods  of  penitence  and  depression,  his 
feasts  and  his  fasts,  his  vows  and  church  observances, 
his  proneness  to  spells  of  devotion,  his  joys  and  sor- 
rows, his  petulance  and  his  partisanship,  and  a  score 
of  other  characteristics — all  are  known  to  us  simply 
because  there  was  by  his  side  a  gifted  biographer 
who  loved  and  admired  the  best  side  of  the  man, 
taking  notes,  studying  his  individual  peculiarities, 
and  at  last  writing  out  the  story  with  an  amplitude 
which  chimed  fitly  in  with  the  largeness  of  the  man 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS  107 

thus  depicted  and  enshrined  in   the  most  famous 
biography  ever  given  to  the  world. 

Stanley's  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Thomas 
Arnold  and  Irving's  Life  of  Washington  may  also  be 
cited  as  instances  of  the  entrancing  beauty  of  this 
sort  of  literature.  It  need  not  surprise  us,  therefore, 
to  find  that  the  Bible  depends,  for  something  of  its 
amazing  attractions,  upon  its  biographies,  great  and 
small. 

The  elaborate  pictures  of  the  notable  men  of  the 
Bible  which  are  sketched,  and  in  some  measure  de- 
tailed, in  its  pages  command  attention.  They  open 
with  the  narratives  of  the  patriarchs.  Abraham,  in  Gen.  ch.  12-23 
the  very  dawn  of  human  history,  separated  from  us  by 
forty  centuries,  emerges  from  the  mists  of  the  past — 
a  venerable  figure,  dignified,  self-poised,  devout, 
patient,  the  first  of  the  great  company  of  pioneers  to 
follow  the  openings  of  Providence  and  journey  west- 
ward toward  the  new  lands  which  ever  since  his  day, 
from  time  to  time,  have  invited  migration;  the  pattern 
believer,  who  when  he  got  the  impression  that  Jehovah 
required  him  to  sacrifice  his  only  son,  in  an  hour  when 
God's  command  and  God's  promise  seemed  to  be  at 
cross  purposes,  did  not  flinch;  the  man  whose  con- 
fidence in  God's  power  and  grace  is  taken  in  the  New 
Testament  as  the  supreme  and  ideal  exhibition  of 
saving  faith — and  becomes  in  the  graphic  record  a 
familiar  figure,  a  friend  of  God  and  an  example  to 
the  ages! 

Next  in  the    picture    gallery  comes  Isaac,  quiet,  Gen.  ch.  24-27 
harmless,  unadventurous,  a  dim  and  nebulous  char- 


108  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

acter,  hardly  to  be  discerned  in  the  shadows  of 
Gen.  ch.  28-36  antiquity;  and  then  appears  the  strong,  unfading 
portrait  of  Jacob,  shrewd,  self-seeking,  not  over- 
scrupulous; of  the  earth,  earthy;  at  times  sordid  and 
mean,  and  yet  with  great  capacities  for  a  nobler  life 
and  for  spiritual  things  long  covered  up  in  the  sub- 
liminal parts  of  his  nature — capacities  which  finally 
flowered  into  beauty  and  commanding  growth  so 
that  when  we  study  his  career  and  note  what  the 
grace  of  God  can  do  with  coarse  and  common  clay 
we  see  a  new  meaning  in  the  psalmist's  words,  "The 
Psa.  46.  7         God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge." 

Gen.  ch.  37-50  And  who  can  forget  the  matchless  story  of  Joseph? 
— beloved  by  his  father,  hated  by  his  jealous  brothers, 
sold  in  his  teens  into  Egypt,  maintaining  his  equipoise 
and  holding  fast  to  his  integrity  when  tempted,  ma- 
ligned and  imprisoned,  and  retaining  his  grasp  on 
the  higher  values  when  subjected  to  the  specious 
allurements  and  demoralizations  which  unlimited 
wealth  and  arbitrary  power  involve.  The  salient 
lessons  of  his  life — God's  providential  care  of  his  own, 
the  duty  of  fraternal  love,  the  obligation  to  forget 
and  forgive  when  one  has  been  sorely  injured,  the 
privilege  of  discerning  even  in  disaster  and  suffering 
a  divine  message  and  meaning — when  these  are 
written  out  in  plain  prose  they  are,  of  course,  signifi- 
cant, but  how  much  more  inevitable  and  commanding 
they  become  when  they  appear  in  the  details  of  the 
story  as  a  matter  of  course,  standing  out  in  the  drama, 
and  making  their  own  indelible  impression. 
This,  of  course,  as  everyone  must  see  who  gives  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS  109 

slightest  thought  to  the  matter,  is  the  aim  of  these 
Bible  biographies:  they  present  us  with  virtue  and 
vice  embodied,  incorporated  into  human  lives,  set 
before  us  in  immortal  examples.  Thus  arrayed 
before  us  in  panoramic  vision  they  stir  within  us  the 
spirit  of  emulation  or  warn  us,  on  the  other  hand, 
with  admonitions  that  cannot  pass  unheeded;  they 
teach  us  what  great  and  heroic  qualities  belong  to 
human  nature,  and  they  also  show  us  by  dreadful 
exhibitions  of  vice,  crime,  weakness,  and  treachery 
to  what  depths  of  degradation  a  man  may  descend. 

Much  edifying  and  interesting  matter,  for  instance, 
has  been  written  by  wise  teachers  to  show  that  even 
children  may  serve  the  Lord,  and  that  an  early  start 
in  the  way  of  righteousness  may  lead  to  a  godly  life 
and  a  career  of  vast  influence;  indeed,  not  only  chap- 
ters but  volumes  have  been  written  with  that  purpose 
in  view.  Useful  as  they  are,  all  of  them  together 
fail  to  grip  the  imagination,  and  to  take  hold  of  the 
memory  and  move  the  heart,  as  does  a  single  bit  of 
biographical  writing  in  the  Old  Testament,  where  we 
are  told  of  the  child  Samuel,  his  praying  mother,  his 
child-ministrations  in  the  sanctuary,  and  his  response 
to  the  divine  call — "Speak,  Lord;  for  thy  servant  1  Sam.  ch.  1-3 
heareth." 

The  biblical  virtue  of  humility — to  take  another 
case — is  hard  to  define  so  as  to  make  it  clear  to  in- 
quiring minds.  To  be  humble  is  often  regarded, 
even  by  well-instructed  people,  as  synonymous  with 
being  timid,  tame-spirited,  lacking  in  self-respect 
and  in  courageous  aggressiveness.    The  Bible  is  wise 


110  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

enough  not  to  attempt  to  define  this  virtue — instead 
of  definitions  it  gives  us  pictures — and  in  this  par- 
ticular case  it  portrays  this  noble  grace  of  humility  so 
vividly  and  in  such  relation  with  other  qualities 
as  to  require  the  conclusion  that  this  virtue  is  conso- 
nant with  the  most  magnificent  combination  of  noble 
aims  and  dispositions  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the 
world. 

Abraham  teaches  us  what  this  grace  is  when  we  see 
him  bowing  in  self-abasement  and  lowly  reverence 
before  Jehovah  and  exclaiming  under  his  breath, 

Gen.  18.  27  "Behold,  I  am  but  dust  and  ashes."  Gideon  illus- 
trates the  meaning  and  beauty  of  this  trait  when  in 
dismay  he  cries  out  upon  being  summoned  to  under- 

Judg.  6. 15  take  a  forlorn-hope  enterprise,  "Oh  Lord,  wherewith 
shall  I  save  Israel?  behold,  my  family  is  the  poorest 
in  Manasseh,  and  I  am  the  least  in  my  father's  house." 
Jeremiah,  who  became  the  counselor  of  kings,  teaches 
the  same  lesson  when  at  the  outset  of  his  prophetic 

Jer.  l.  6  ministry  he  utters  his  pathetic  protest,    "Ah,  Lord 

Jehovah!  behold,  I  know  not  how  to  speak:  for  I  am 
a  child."  Who  can  mistake  the  nature  of  humility 
when  he  considers  the  picture  found  in  the  later  part 
of  the  career  of  the  patriarch  of  Uz,  who  says,  at  the 
end  of  the  long  argument: 

Job  42.  5,  6  "I  had  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear: 

But  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee, 
Wherefore  I  abhor  myself  and  repent 
In  dust  and  ashes"? 

The  Roman  centurion,  evidently  a  man  of  com- 
manding character,  possessing  the  dignity  of  a  true 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS  111 

soldier,  types  the  quality  under  consideration  when 

he  responds  to  the  Master's  assurance,  "I  will  come 

and   heal   thy  servant,"   with   the   self-deprecating 

words,  "0  Lord,  I  am  not  worthy  that  thou  shouldest  Matt.  8.  5-10 

come  under  my  roof:  but  only  say  the  word,  and 

my    servant    shall    be    healed."     And    Saint    Paul, 

who  declares  that  he  is  "the  least  of  the  apostles,  not  l  Cor.  15.  9 

meet  to  be  called  an  apostle,"  and  who  later  writes, 

"Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  Eph.  3.  8 

was  this  grace  given,  to  preach  unto  the  Gentiles 

the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,"  is  a  witness  to  the 

fact  that  the  deepest  humility  may  coexist  in  the 

heart  with  the  most  generous  and  lofty  qualities  in 

human  character. 

With  this  preliminary  study  we  may  begin  to  appre- 
hend the  reason  why  the  contents  of  Scripture  are 
so  largely  poured  into  biographical  molds,  which 
serve  to  make  virtue  clear  to  the  eye  and  embody  it 
before  the  imagination;  and  to  delineate  by  means 
of  living  examples  the  meaning  and  worth  of  the 
fundamental  graces.  These  living  patterns  of  holy 
character  appeal  to  all  that  is  jioble  and  emulous  in 
our  hearts.  As  we  study  them  Joshua  passes  before 
the  eye  a  type  of  soldierly  devotion  and  courage ;  and 
Job  teaches  us  by  his  patience  and  resignation  that 
it  is  possible  for  a  mortal  to  say  in  the  very  extremity 
of  loss  and  pain,  "Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  Job  13. 15 
him";  and  Andrew,  the  first  of  the  Master's  disciples, 
appears,  to  show  us  how  easy  it  is  for  a  young  con-  John  l.  41 
vert,  after  having  found  Christ,  to  go  out  and  bring 
his  brother  to  the  Saviour;  while,  greatest  of  them 


112  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

all,  Paul,  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  by  his  person- 
ality and  career,  pictured  with  extraordinary  vivid- 
ness in  part  by  his  own  pen  in  his  epistles,  and  in  part 
by  Saint  Luke,  his  fellow  worker  and  beloved  physi- 
cian, reveals  the  spirit  and  plan  of  the  pattern  mis- 
sionary, serving  as  an  ever-living  example  of  zeal, 
wisdom,  compassion,  and  love  for  all  lands  and  ages 

Rev.  ll.  15  until  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  have  become 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ! 

The  biblical  biographies,  moreover,  are  fraught 
with  warnings,  also,  of  the  most  searching  sort.  The 
frailties,  blunders,  and  sins  of  the  saints  and  the 
perverseness,  cruelty,  and  stubbornness  of  the  wicked 
are  told  with  a  plainness  and  a  vividness  that  are 
forever  impressive.  The  truth  that  middle  life  and 
old  age  have  their  peculiar  perils,  for  instance,  is 
urged  upon  us  by  the  story  of  David's  double  trans- 
gression, with  the  punishment  which  followed  hard 
upon  it;  as  well  as  by  the  breakdown  of  Solomon, 

l  Kinga  ll.  4  who  in  old  age  loved  many  strange  women,  and  was 
by  them  turned  from  the  worship  of  the  Almighty 
to  follow  other  gods.  Indeed,  there  is  scarcely  to 
be  found  anywhere  in  life's  voyage  a  dangerous  reef, 
or  a  treacherous  quicksand,  where  a  mortal  may  be 
engulfed,  that  is  not  marked  in  Scripture  as  by  a 
beacon  light  or  a  buoy  in  the  story  of  some  poor  soul 
who  has  thereon  made  shipwreck  of  faith.  Out  from 
the  pages  of  these  Bible  stories  come  hosts  of  solemn 

Exod.  8. 15  admonitions  issuing  forth  from  lips  long  ago  turned 
to  dust.  Here  Pharaoh  warns  us  against  the  folly 
and  blindness  of  those  who  when  they  see  that  there 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ATTRACTIONS  113 

is  respite  harden  their  hearts;  and  Judas  bears  un- 
willing testimony  age  after  age  that  a  man  may  be 
for  years  a  companion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  even  one 
of  his  apostles,  and  yet  turn  out  to  be  a  traitor;  and 
Pilate  is  an  illustration  of  the  doom  which  comes  upon  Luke  23. 13- 

24 

the  man  who  trifles  with  his  sense  of  justice,  caters  to 
the  prejudices  of  the  mob,  puts  his  political  interests 
and  office  ahead  of  his  moral  convictions,  and  shuts 
his  eyes  to  the  true,  the  beautiful,  and  the  good, 
when  the  Truth  embodied  stands  in  his  very  presence! 
Sometimes  in  the  brief  biographical  allusions  in  the 
Scripture  there  are  found  instances  where  a  life-story 
is  summed  up  in  a  sentence  or  two,  or  where  in  a 
phrase  a  tragedy  is  depicted.  Take,  by  way  of 
illustration,  the  case  of  Demas,  one  of  the  companions 
and  helpers  of  Paul  in  Rome  during  the  apostle's 
imprisonment  toward  the  end  of  his  ministry.  All 
that  is  known  concerning  Demas  is  found  in  three  Col.  4. 14 
references,  but  these  brief  mentions  of  the  name  ™}em\2* 
make  up  a  picture  full  of  meaning.  The  apostle, 
writing  to  one  of  his  churches,  joins  this  man  with 
one  of  the  noblest  of  his  yokefellows,  saying,  "Luke, 
the  beloved  physician,  and  Demas  salute  you." 
About  the  same  time,  in  writing  to  a  brother  in  Asia 
Minor,  he  brings  into  a  single  verse  four  men  by 
name  who  unite  in  salutations:  "Mark,  Aristarchus, 
Demas,  Luke,  my  fellow  workers."  Here  we  see 
Demas,  in  the  midst  of  choice  friends,  ministering 
to  the  apostle  in  prison,  helping  to  carry  out  his 
plans,  holding  fellowship  with  men  worthy  to  rank 
with  the  "glorious  company  of  the  apostles  and  the 


2  Tim.  4.  9 


114  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

goodly  fellowship  of  the  prophets"  for  all  time.  Alas! 
this  is  not  the  whole  story.  There  is  another  mention 
of  this  man,  in  which  he  is  singled  out  to  stand  by 
himself.  The  close  of  the  great  ministry  of  Paul  is 
near;  the  plots  of  his  foes  are  culminating,  and  he 
writes  his  farewell  letter,  in  which  he  urges  Timothy 
to  visit  him  in  Rome:  "Do  thy  diligence  to  come 
shortly  unto  me :  for  Demas  hath  forsaken  me,  having 
loved  this  present  world."  There  in  three  verses  we 
behold  a  tragedy  enacted — a  man  counted  worthy 
to  be  a  friend  and  fellow  worker  of  Paul,  serving  the 
interests  of  the  kingdom  for  a  while  in  Rome,  visiting 
the  apostle  in  prison,  holding  sweet  converse  with 
the  other  brethren,  and  numbered  for  the  time  among 
the  saints;  turning  at  last  from  his  teacher  and  friend, 
giving  up  his  commission,  stopping  his  ears  against 
the  call  of  duty,  and  absorbed  once  more  in  the  cares 
and  gains  and  enticements  of  this  present  world — 
the  world  of  sight  and  sense,  the  world  of  pleasure 
and  gain,  the  world  of  allurement  and  adventure; 
finding  his  "own  place"  in  the  awful  record,  out  of 
which  he  passes  into  darkness.  He  loved  the  world; 
he  forsook  Paul,  he  escaped  being  a  hero,  and  sinks 
out  of  sight  as  a  renegade.  From  this  single  instance 
we  can  see  how  marvelous  even  the  biographical 
allusions  of  the  Scripture  sometimes  are! 


v 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  GRIP  ON  THE  CONSCIENCE 


115 


Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  according  to  thy  lov- 
ing-kindness : 

According  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies 
blot  out  my  transgressions. 

Wash  me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity, 

And  cleanse  me  from  my  sin. 

For  I  acknowledge  my  trangressions: 

And  my  sin  is  ever  before  me. 

Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned, 

And  done  that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight: 

That  thou  mayest  be  justified  when  thou  speakest, 

And  be  clear  when  thou  judgest. 

— Psa.51.1-4. 


Law  is  not  made  for  a  righteous  man,  but  for  the  lawless 
and  unruly,  for  the  ungodly  and  sinners,  for  the  unholy  and 
profane,  for  murderers  of  fathers  and  murderers  of  mothers, 
for  manslayers,  for  fornicators,  for  abusers  of  themselves 
with  men,  for  menstealers,  for  liars,  for  false  swearers,  and 
if  there  be  any  other  thing  contrary  to  the  sound  doctrine; 
according  to  the  gospel  of  the  glory  of  the  blessed  God, 
which  was  committed  to  my  trust. 

—1  Tim.  1.9-11. 


Holy  Bible,  Book  divine, 
Precious  treasure,  thou  art  mine! 
Mine  to  tell  me  whence  I  came, 
Mine  to  tell  me  what  I  am, 
Mine  to  chide  me  when  I  rove; 
Mine  to  show  a  Saviour's  love; 
Mine  art  thou  to  guide  my  feet, 
Mine  to  judge,  condemn,  acquit. 
Mine  to  comfort  in  distress, 
If  the  Holy  Spirit  bless; 
Mine  to  show  by  living  faith 
Man  can  triumph  over  death; 
Mine  to  tell  of  joys  to  come, 
And  the  rebel  sinner's  doom: — 
Holy  Bible,  Book  divine, 
Precious  treasure,  thou  art  mine! 

— John  Burton. 


116 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  GRIP  ON  THE  CONSCIENCE 

Thus  far  we  have  noted  chiefly  the  attractions  of 
the  Bible  which  are  to  be  classified  as  aesthetic, 
literary,  rhetorical.  These,  however,  are  not  the 
supreme  charms  of  Scripture,  although  they  are 
involved  in  those  elements  which  attach  to  it  imper- 
ishable interest  and  value.  The  Book  has  a  hold 
upon  human  nature  in  view  of  other  aspects  and 
qualities  than  those  which  we  have  been  studying. 
Beautiful  as  this  volume  is,  considered  as  a  matchless 
specimen  of  ancient  literature,  charming  as  are  its 
narratives,  noble  as  is  its  poetry,  and  heroic  as  are 
its  models  of  character,  it  could  never  have  reached 
its  supreme  rank  in  the  world  but  for  other  elements 
which  it  possesses  in  unique  measure.  It  holds  fast 
to  man  with  a  grip  like  that  which  the  sun  exerts 
upon  its  planetary  system  by  means  of  gravitation, 
like  that  which  the  magnet  sways  upon  the  steel,  a 
grip  the  like  of  which  is  shown  by  no  other  book  in 
the  world.  This  grip  is  the  hold  it  has  upon  the 
moral  faculties,  the  appeal  which  it  makes  to  the 
ethical  judgment,  the  power  which  it  has  to  awaken 
the  conscience,  to  rouse  the  soul  from  its  guilty 
stupor,  and  to  enlightenJ_jn^eL_pej^uadeL  and  guide 
men  out  of  darkness  into  day,  out  of  a  condition  of 

117 


118  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

evil,  waywardness,  carelessness,  and  conscious  sin, 
into  a  new  hope,  a  new  joy,  a  new  life. 

In  this  view  of  the  Book  perhaps  the  word  "attract" 
or  the  term  "charm"  is  not  the  word  to  use  to  describe 
the  function  under  consideration;  the  Bible  looked 
at  from  this  standpoint  commands,  grips,  and  holds 
the  human  soul.  It  deals  with  man  as  a  transgressor, 
as  a  violator  of  law,  as  a  creature  under  condemnation 
and  in  peril,  whose  nature  is  deranged  and  ungeared, 
as  one  who  needs  help,  and  renovation,  and — to  use 
a  single  term — salvation.  This  is  the  peculiar  func- 
tion of  the  Book  which  gives  it  an  incomparable 
influence  and  scope  in  the  world  wherever  it  is  read. 
The  Bible  possesses  a  singular  individualizing  min- 
istry; it  singles  out  and  seizes  the  offender  and  brings 
home  to  him  his  guilt  and  need ;  it  makes  its  appeal 
as  though  it  were  endowed  with  life  and  personality; 
it  startles,  arraigns,  condemns  men  everywhere  with 
its  awful  accusation,  "Thou  art  the  man!"  But  for 
this  quality,  we  repeat,  the  Book  would  be  compara- 
tively inert;  it  would  have  no  revolutionary  and 
explosive  and  arousing  force;  for  its  literary  beauties 
and  its  dramatic  charms,  however  unique  they  may 
be,  are  not  fraught  with  the  power  to  change  the 
heart  of  man  and  renew  the  face  of  the  earth.  To 
this  peculiarity  of  the  Bible  our  attention  is  now 
directed — its  appeal  to  the  conscience,  its  awakening, 
dissecting,  arraigning  functions. 

There  are  problems  related  to  this  aspect  of  the 
Bible  with  which  we  have  nothing  now  to  do.  We 
need  not  stop  to  ask  how  evil  came  into  the  world; 


THE  GRIP  ON  THE  CONSCIENCE  119 

nor  how  far  astray  from  original  righteousness  man 
has  gone;  nor  to  what  extent  his  nature  is  corrupted; 
nor  what  is  the  exact  interplay  of  divine  decrees  with 
the  human  will.  The  skillful  physician  with  a  critical 
case  in  hand  does  not  spend  much  time  in  trying  to 
determine  where  or  how  the  patient  "caught"  the 
malady;  the  chief  thing  to  be  done  is  to  bring  help 
and  healing  as  speedily  as  possible.  Accordingly, 
we  shall  deal  here  with  the  facts  in  the  case — not 
with  the  philosophy  which  may  be  supposed  to 
underlie  them. 

In  the  Revised  Version  a  favorite  proof-text  much 
used  in  former  days  has  a  fresh  and  singularly  inter- 
esting rendering.  It  used  to  read,  "The  heart  is  Jer.  17.  9 
deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked: 
who  can  know  it?"  In  this  form  the  passage  has 
long  been  used  as  a  part  of  the  basis  on  which  to 
build  the  doctrine  of  "total"  depravity.  We  do  . 
not  desire  to  go  into  that  old  discussion,  nor  attempt 
to  determine  to  what  extent  man  is  a  depraved 
being.  The  later  rendering  commends  itself  by  its 
freshness,  force,  and  wisdom:  "The  heart  is  deceitful 
above  all  things,  and  it  is  desperate^-sick :  who  can 
know  it?"  JJoesnot  that  utterance  accord  with  human 
experience  everywhere?  Is  there  a  man  or  woman 
on  earth  who  will  candidly  deny  it?  Does  it  not 
cohere  with  the  testimony  of  the  conscience,  with 
the  utterances  of  poets,  ancient  and  modern,  with 
the  convictions  and  researches  of  the  philosopher 
and  psychologist,  with  the  conclusions  alike  of  the 
pagan  and  the  Christian  student?    The  moral  nature 


120  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

of  man  is  diseased;  it  is  "desperately  sick";  there  is 
derangement  of  a  deplorable  character  in  what  the 
apostle  calls  the  "inward  man";  and  in  many  cases 
the  famous  story  of  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde  typifies 
the  conflict  which  daily  goes  on  in  the  human  heart 
between  the  noble  and  ignoble  elements,  between 
good  and  evil,  between  right  and  wrong,  between 
deity  and  demonism.  Who  is  there  in  the  world  who 
has  not  found  himself  torn  by  this  struggle,  bowed 
under  this  burden,  cowed  and  crushed  into  a  sense  of 
guilt  and  helplessness  and  danger,  and  forced  to  use 
the  apostle's  words,  again  and  again,  in  his  trouble: 
"0  wretched  man  that  I  am!  who  shall  deliver  me 
from  the  body  of  this  death?" 

It  is  to  man  in  this  estate  of  moral  lapse,  in  this 
condition  of  inward  struggle  and  tumult — lamenting 
his  folly,  his  moral  blindness,  his  stupidity,  his  way- 
wardness, his  indolence,  his  proneness  to  go  in  the 
wrong  direction,  to  approve  that  which  is  good  while 
he  pursues  that  which  is  bad,  to  do  violence  to  his 
better  aims  and  ideals — that  the  Bible  comes  with  its 
terrible  arraignment,  with  its  command  to  repent, 
and  with  its  proffer  of  grace  and  help  for  every  time 
of  need.  And  it  is  this  element  of  the  Book  which 
gives  it  a  hold  on  men  that  cannot  be  evaded  or 
shaken  off. 

The  messages  of  warning  and  the  denunciations 
spoken  to  ancient  Israel  have  not  lost  their  applica- 
tion to  men.  They  may  be  used,  with  hardly  a 
change,  in  the  messages  uttered  by  God's  prophets 
to-day.    Look  at  a  few  of  them,  and  ask  whether 


THE  GRIP  ON  THE  CONSCIENCE  121 

these  are  effete  and  obsolete  words,  belonging  to  an 

age  far  away  from  us,  or  whether,  on  the  other  hand, 

they  are  not  exactly  applicable  to  great  multitudes 

in  our  own  time: 

Woe  unto  the  wicked!  it  shall    be  ill  with  him:  for  the   Isa.3. 11,15, 16 
reward  of  his  hands  shall  be  given  him.  .  .  .   What  mean         5.  20 
ye  that  ye  crush  my  people,  and  grind  the  face  of  the  poor?  Prov.  1.  24,  25 
.  .  .  The  daughters  of  Zion  are  haughty,  and    walk  with   jsa  59  3 
stretched  forth  necks  and  wanton  eyes,  walking  and  mincing   jer  5  0g 
as  they  go,  and  making  a  tinkling  with  their  feet.  .  .  .   Woe   „      \\   fi 
unto  them  that  call  evil  good,  and  good  evil ;  that  put  darkness      °  '    '    ' 
for  light,  and  light  for  darkness;  that  put  bitter  for  sweet, 
and  sweet  for  bitter!  ...  I  have  called,  and  ye  refused;  I  ^sa-  1-  2 
have  stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no  man  regarded;  but  ye   Prov.  10.  7 
have  set  at  naught  all  my  counsel,  and  would  none  of  my   Hos.    7.  2 
reproof.  .  .  .  Your  lips  have  spoken  lies,  your  tongue  mut-  13.  9 

tereth  wickedness.  .  .  .  Among  my  people  are  found  wicked 
men :  they  watch  as  fowlers  lie  in  wait ;  they  set  a  trap,  they 
catch  men.  .  .  .  There  is  no  truth,  nor  kindness,  nor  knowl- 
edge of  God  in  the  land.  .  .  .  My  people  are  destroyed  for 
lack  of  knowledge.  .  .  .  They  sow  the  wind,  and  they  shall 
reap  the  whirlwind.  .  .  .  Hear,  O  heavens,  and  give  ear, 
O  earth,  for  Jehovah  hath  spoken:  I  have  nourished  and 
brought  up  children,  and  they  have  rebelled  against  me.  .  .  . 
The  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot.  .  .  .  They  consider  not  in 
their  hearts  that  I  remember  all  their  wickedness.  ...  It 
is  thy  destruction,  O  Israel,  that  thou  art  against  me,  against 
thy  help! 

Corresponding  to  these  searching  accusations,  which 
are  more  than  justified  by  the  history  of  the  people 
to  whom  they  were  directed,  are  the  confessions  of 
sin  found  in  the  Bible.  The  Psalms  especially  are 
full  of  these  acknowledgments,  which  have  been 
used,  generation  after  generation,  as  the  most  ac- 
curate and  contrite  expressions  of  personal  and 
communal  wrongdoing  and  ill-desert  that  language 
can  frame.  Let  some  of  them  be  cited  as  specimens 
of  hundreds  which  are  contained  in  the  Bible: 


122  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Ezra  9.    6  I  am  ashamed  and  blush  to  lift  up  my  face  to  thee,  my  God : 

Psa.  25.    7         for  our  iniquities  are  increased  over  our  head,  and  our  guilti- 
31.  10         ness  *s  grown  up  unto  the  heavens.  .  .  .    Remember  not  the 
oo     4         sins  of  my  youth,  nor  my  transgressions.  .  .  .   My  strength 
4  '  12         faileth  because  of  mine  iniquity,  and  my  bones  are  wasted 
away.  .  .  .  Mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  my  head:    as  a 
51.  2-4       heavy  burden  they  are  too  heavy  for  me.  .  .  .    Innumerable 
evils  have  compassed  me  about;  mine  iniquities  have  over- 
taken me  so  that  I  am  not  able  to  look  up;  they  are  more 
than  the  hairs  of  my  head,  and  my  heart  hath  failed  me.  .  .  . 
Wash  me    thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and  cleanse  me 
from  my  sin.     For  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions,  and 
my  sin  is  ever  before  me.     Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I 
sinned,  and  done  that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight. 

The  doctrine  of  sin,  as  suggested  by  these  pene- 
tential  utterances  and  by  these  scriptural  arraign- 
ments, is  very  different  from  the  so-called  modern 
liberal  teaching  in  which  sin  is  minified,  smoothed 
over,  explained  away  as  a  matter  of  heredity,  or 
environment,  or  perhaps  a  relic  of  animal  impulse 
and  brute  nature  not  yet  sloughed  off.  Sometimes 
it  is  declared  that  man  needs  only  better  housing, 
better  food,  and  better  education  in  order  to  rid  the 
world  entirely  of  vice  and  crime.  This  view  is  so 
short-sighted,  so  inconsistent  with  the  administration 
of  law  all  about  us,  so  lacking  in  historic  or  philosophic 
basis,  so  contrary  to  the  deeper  convictions  of  univer- 
sal manhood,  that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  debate 
it.  The  truth  is  that  the  heart  of  man  responds  to 
the  voice  of  Scripture,  and  declares:  "It  is  true.  I 
am  naturally  out  of  sympathy  with  righteousness, 
estranged  from  my  Creator;  my  spirit  is  ungeared, 
there  is  a  dreadful  twist  in  it:  I  am  perverted,  and 
wrung  aside  from  goodness.  I  need  to  be  renewed, 
made  over  again,  cleansed  from  my  sin." 


I 


THE  GRIP  ON  THE  CONSCIENCE  123 

It  is  this  prompt,  this  inevitable,  this  spontaneous 
response  of  the  conscience  of  man  in  all  ages  to  the 
declarations  of  the  divine  word,  in  regard  to  the 
weakness,  the  waywardness,  and  the  guilt  of  the  soul, 
that  constitutes  one  of  the  invincible  proofs  of  the 
superhuman  authority  of  the  Scripture.  The  Bible 
says:  "Thou  hast  simied.  Thou  art  in  condemnation. 
Thou  hast  transgressed  the  law  of  thy  God,  and 
hast  brought  ruin  upon  thyself."  And  the  soul — the 
universal  soul,  the  soul  of  man  in  all  lands  and  in 
all  generations — bows  in  the  dust  and  cries  out, 
"Alas,  it  is  true.  I  have  been  found  out.  My  secret 
sins  are  brought  forth  into  the  light  of  day.  I  cannot 
hide  myself  from  this  penetrating,  revealing,  accusing 
word  of  Scripture,  which  pierces  my  soul  as  though 
it  were  indeed  the  arrow  of  the  Almighty." 

Thus  again  and  again,  in  Christian  and  in  pagan 
lands,  even  a  few  detached  passages  of  Scripture, 
filled  with  arousing  and  arraigning  power,  have 
sufficed  to  awaken  transgressors  from  their  sinful 
stupor  even  without  the  intervention  of  a  human 
voice  or  a  priestly  prayer  or  a  teacher's  instruction. 

The  teaching  of  the  Master  with  regard  to  the  sin- 
fulness of  man's  nature  is  unmistakable  in  its  mean- 
ing. His  words  have  no  uncertain  ring  in  connection 
with  this  theme: 

Except  ye  turn,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  in  Matt.  18.  3 

no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  ...    Ye  must  j0hn  3.  7 

be  born  again.  ...  A  good  man  out  of   the  good  treasure  j^att  12  35 
of  the  heart  bringeth  forth  good  things :  and  an  evil  man  out  '  ,  -"  ,  q 

of  the  evil  treasure  bringeth  forth  evil  things.  .  .  .  For  out 
of  the  heart  come  forth  evil  thoughts,  murders,  adulteries, 


124  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

fornications,  thefts,  false  witness,  railings:  these  are  the 
things  which  defile  the  man.  .  .  .  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall 
all  likewise  perish.  .  .  .  And  this  is  the  judgment,  that  the 
light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  the  darkness 
ather  than  the  light;  for  their  works  were  evil. 

It  should  certainly  be  clear  to  the  candid  student 
of  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ  that  he  did  not  believe 
or  teach  that  man  is  simply  a  weakling,  or  that  his 
trouble  is  immaturity  and  ignorance,  and  that  he 
only  needs  a  little  moral  coddling  in  order  to  grow 
into  strength  and  beauty.  The  evil  in  man's  con- 
dition and  nature  as  the  Master  diagnosed  it  is  a 
radical  and  desperate  one;  he  located  the  trouble  in 
the  very  deepest  recesses  of  the  soul;  he  declared 
that  the  heart  itself  must  be  renewed  in  order  that 
moral  health  may  be  secured. 

Many  pages  might  be  occupied  with  this  theme 
without  exhausting  it,  but  we  have  cited  enough 
truth  from  the  Word  to  show  that  one  of  the  func- 
tions of  the  Bible  is  to  dissect,  uncover,  and  quicken 
into  new  consciousness  the  guilty  nature  of  man. 
Wherever  that  word  has  a  fair  chance  it  does  this 
very  thing.  Whose  fault  is  it,  then,  that  we  have 
lost  in  our  time  the  sense  of  sin?  Who  is  to  blame 
for  the  prevalent  impression  that  men  no  longer  are 
deeply  troubled  with  "conviction  of  sin,"  that  the 
ordinary  preaching  of  the  modern  pulpit  makes  but 
little  of  the  "sinfulness  of  sin";  that  the  modern 
conscience,  of  men  and  women  alike,  seems  to  be  an 
easy-going,  unburdened,  unthinking  conscience,  and 
that  the  very  word  "lost,"  which  the  Master  uses  again 
and  again  to  describe  the  moral  condition  of  our  race, 


THE  GRIP  ON  THE  CONSCIENCE  125 

has  dropped  almost  out  of  the  vocabulary  of  our 
age? 

Has  the  Bible  been  neglected  so  long  that  men 
have  forgotten  its  denunciations,  its  threats,  its 
definitions  of  guilt,  its  revelations  of  the  doom  which 
it  declares  against  the  impenitent?  Have  its  awful 
truths  been  so  glossed  over,  so  toned  down,  so  ignored, 
so  emasculated,  that  men  have  been  allowed  to  go  to 
sleep  on  the  brink  of  destruction,  with  none  to  warn 
them  of  a  wrath  to  come?  Or  have  men  so  doped 
their  own  consciences  with  greed,  with  worldliness, 
with  selfish  ease,  with  luxurious  living,  or  with  sottish 
indulgences  that  they  can  read  or  hear  the  teachings 
of  the  Bible  in  regard  to  sin  and  its  penalties,  and  yet 
fancy  that  there  is  no  real  earnestness  or  genuine 
severity  in  them?  Whatever  may  be  the  case,  let 
it  be  once  more  said  that  whenever  the  moral  grip 
of  the  Bible  upon  a  human  soul  or  upon  a  generation 
has  been  loosened,  wherever  the  ear  is  closed  against 
the  warnings  of  Scripture,  then  and  there  destruction 
like  the  breaking  forth  of  waters  waits  for  that  soul, 
and  for  that  generation. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  PROMISES 


127 


My  son,  attend  to  my  words; 

Incline  thine  ear  unto  my  sayings. 

Let  them  not  depart  from  thine  eyes; 

Keep  them  in  the  midst  of  thine  heart. 

For  they  are  life  unto  those  that  find  them, 

And  health  to  all  their  flesh. 

Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence; 

For  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life. 

Put  away  from  thee  a  froward  mouth, 

And  perverse  lips  put  far  from  thee. 

Let  thine  eyes  look  right  on, 

And  let  thine  eyelids  look  straight  before  thee. 

Make  level  the  path  of  thy  feet, 

And  let  all  thy  ways  be  established. 

Turn  not  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left: 

Remove  thy  foot  from  evil. 

— Prov.  4.  20-27. 


What  advantage  then  hath  the  Jew?  .  .  .  Much  every 
way:  first  of  all,  that  they  were  intrusted  with  the  oracles 
of  God.  "  —Rom.  3.  1,  2. 

For  the  word  of  God  is  living,  and  active,  and  sharper 
than  any  two-edged  sword,  and  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
of  soul  and  spirit,  of  both  joints  and  marrow,  and  quick  to 
discern  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. 

— Heb.  4.  12,  13. 


Whence  but  from  heaven  could  men,  unskilled  in  arts, 
In  several  ages  born,  in  several  parts, 
Weave  such  agreeing  truths?  or  how,  or  why, 
Should  all  conspire  to  cheat  us  with  a  lie? 
Unasked  their  pains,  ungrateful  their  advice, 
Starving  their  gain,  and  martyrdom  their  price! 

— John  Dryden. 


128 


CHAPTER  X 

l/ 

THE  PROMISES 

1.  A  marked  feature  of  Scripture,  and  one  of  its 
distinctive  attractions,  as  well  as  one  of  its  secrets 
of  far-reaching  and  ever-growing  influence,  is  lodged 
in  the  promises — "precious  and  exceeding  great" —  2  Pet.  1. 4 
which  are  found  therein.  In  the  early  record  we 
find  but  few;  these  grow  in  number  and  scope  and 
beauty  from  age  to  age,  and  when  at  last  the  Book 
is  complete  it  is  found  to  contain  a  great  multitude 
of  these  covenants  of  grace  whereby  countless  bless- 
ings are  assured  to  those  who  are  the  heirs  of  the 
kingdom. 

A  visitor  to  a  great  astronomical  observatory  one 
night  was  asked  by  the  scientist  in  charge  of  the 
telescope,  "Have  you  ever  seen  the  star  called  Vega?" 
The  reply  was,  "No;  where  is  it?"  The  visitor  then 
looked  up  through  the  opening  in  the  dome  in  the 
direction  indicated,  and  could  barely  distinguish  a 
star,  in  the  midst  of  a  bit  of  star-mist  in  the  dark 
blue  sky.  "Come  here,"  said  the  astronomer,  "I 
want  you  to  see  what  Vega  really  looks  like."  And 
forthwith  the  great  telescope  was  adjusted  in  the 
proper  way,  and  the  visitor  looked  into  the  eyepiece 
to  find  Vega.  Behold,  there  was  a  star  of  brilliant 
white,  set  in  the  midst  of  a  constellation  of  multi- 
colored suns,  yellow,  green,  crimson,  all  aflame  with 

129 


130  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

indescribable  splendor.  After  feasting  his  soul  with 
the  sight  he  turned  away  awestricken,  glad,  and 
worshipful;  he  had  seen  one  of  the  glories  of  the  skies. 
The  early  skies  of  Scripture  have  but  few  stars  of 
promise  shining  in  them,  but  as  the  ages  pass,  and  as 
men  are  trained  to  see  the  invisible  and  to  under- 
stand the  gracious  complexity  and  divine  amplitude 
of  the  covenants  of  mercy,  those  stars  expand,  are 
multiplied,  take  on  themselves  new  tints,  increase 
in  lustrous  magnificence,  until  each  promise  becomes 
a  constellation,  radiant  with  heavenly  beauty. 

The  basis  of  the  hundreds  of  promises  in  Scripture, 
covering  every  variety  of  human  need,  is  to  be  found 
in  the  early  covenant  given  to  Abraham  at  the  very 
outset  of  his  career,  when  he  was  led  out  from  his 
ancestral  and  idolatrous  environment  and  started 
on  his  pilgrimage  toward  the  new  land — which  was 
known  distinctively  for  ages  as  the  land  of  promise — 
the  closing  portion  of  which  covenant  contains  the 
very  essence  of  the  whole  gracious  transaction:  "In 
Gen.  12. 3  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
This  covenant  was  illumined  later  by  the  assurance 
that  the  descendants  of  Abraham  should  be  great  in 
number,  like  the  sands  of  the  sea,  and  that  in  some 
Gen.  22. 17, 18  one  of  them  there  would  be  found  blessing  for  the 
Gal.  3. 8, 16  human  race.  The  covenant  made  with  Abraham, 
therefore,  was  not  simply  the  assurance  that  his 
chdilren  should  in  due  time  inherit  Canaan,  but  that 
there  should  be  born  among  them  in  later  ages  One 
who  would  bring  blessing  to  the  sons  of  men.  This 
promise  of  a  Saviour,  gradually  through  the  ages 


THE  PROMISES  131 

made  more  and  more  definite  and  clear,  was,  accord- 
ing to  the  apostolic  interpretation  of  Scripture,  the  Acts  3.  25 
promise  given  unto  the  fathers,  and  it  runs  through  13-  32 

the  books  of  history,  through  the  Psalms,  and  through 
the  prophetical  utterances  of  the  Old  Testament, 
like  a  thread  of  gold  or  crimson,  binding  into  a  strange 
unity  the  record  of  revelation.  Thus  in  successive 
centuries  for  nearly  two  thousand  years  messengers 
from  Jehovah  appeared,  each  one  adding  a  new  tint 
to  the  prophetic  portrait,  clarifying  the  outline, 
portraying  more  distinctively  the  features,  and  an- 
nouncing with  increasing  definiteness  the  functions 
of  Him  who  was  thus  foretold  to  Abraham  and 
from  time  to  time  to  his  descendants — and  each  one 
declaring  with  enlarging  emphasis,  "He  will  come, 
he  will  come!"  And  at  last  the  One  thus  long  fore- 
told appeared,  his  gracious  perfections,  his  wonderful 
works,  his  resemblance  to  the  prophetic  portrait,  and 
his  own  personal  testimony  all  proclaiming  to  the 
world:  "This  indeed  is  the  One  who  was  to  come.  He 
is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost!" 

2.  The  discerning  reader  of  the  Bible  soon  comes  to 
the  conclusion  that  one  mighty  agency  in  the  training 
of  the  chosen  people  for  their  mission  in  the  world 
was  this  promise  which  was  given  to  the  fathers,  with 
the  additional  covenants  which  from  time  to  time 
were  clustered  about  it.  Repeated  age  after  age  was 
the  pledge  spoken  to  Abraham,  "I  will  give  unto  thee,  Gen.  17. 8 
and  to  thy  seed  after  thee,  the  land  of  thy  sojourn- 
ings,  all  the  land  of  Canaan."  It  was  with  this  faith 
that  Joseph  was  sustained  when  generations  later  he 


132  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

came  to  die:  "And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I 

die;  but  God  will  surely  visit  you  and  bring  you  up 

out  of  this  land  unto  the  land  which  he  sware  to 

Gen.  50. 24, 25  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob.  .  .  .  And  ye  shall 

carry  up  my  bones  from  hence.' '     Still  later,  when 

the  bondage  of  the  children  of  Israel  had  reached  its 

Exod.  3. 8         limit  in  Egypt,  this  promise  of  Canaan  as  a  national 

Josh.  l.  1-6      inheritance  was  repeated  to  Moses  and  to  Joshua. 

Thus  the  promise  of  Canaan  was  a  unifying  bond, 

an  educating  force,  and  a  tie  to  hold  the  tribes  fast 

to  their  ancestral  hopes  and  faith. 

It  will  be  found,  furthermore,  that  at  each  stage  in 
their  history  the  Jews  were  guided,  checked,  helped, 
encouraged  by  promises  of  various  kinds  given  to 
them  in  critical  hours  of  need.  When,  for  instance, 
they  were  in  captivity  their  unity  was  preserved  and 
their  national  life  was  maintained  in  good  part  by 
the  work  of  Jehovah's  messengers,  who  assured  them 
that  if  they  repented  God  would  in  due  time  forgive 
their  iniquity  and  restore  them  to  their  own  land  again. 
Indeed,  the  prophecies  of  different  kinds  concerning 
the  Jewish  people,  and  their  good  and  evil  fortunes, 
are  so  many  that  a  chapter,  or  possibly  a  volume, 
would  be  required  in  order  to  fully  outline  them. 

3.  This  method  of  teaching  and  training,  whereby 
the  inner  life  is  nourished  and  built  up  by  means 
of  promises,  is  not  a  thing  foreign  to  our  common 
experience  and  observation.  Is  not  a  very  large 
portion  of  our  daily  life  founded  on  promises?  Is 
not  the  basis  of  the  marriage  tie  and  the  home  a 
promise,  spoken  usually  with  the  sanctions  of  religion, 


THE  PROMISES  133 

and  the  prayer  for  the  two  who  are  married  that  they 
may  "keep  this  solemn  covenant  between  them 
made"?  Are  not  commercial  transactions,  banking 
business,  and,  in  fact,  the  whole  fabric  of  our  social 
life  built  upon  human  promises?  Take  out  of  our 
experience,  out  of  our  plans,  out  of  our  week-time 
work  this  one  element  of  faith  in  human  promises, 
our  expectations  concerning  the  pledged  or  implied 
word  of  our  fellows,  and  what  would  be  left  of  the 
entire  structure?  Is  it  strange,  then,  that  God,  who 
trains  us  to-day  by  means  of  this  method,  has  put 
into  his  Scripture,  from  beginning  to  end,  as  essential 
components  of  its  structure  and  plan,  his  gracious 
promises,  which  induce  in  the  soul  a  forward  and  an 
upward  look,  which  teach  confidence  in  God's  fidelity, 
his  wisdom,  and  his  protecting  care  and  power? 

4.  When  the  hundreds  of  promises  in  the  Bible 
are  systematized  it  will  be  found  that  they  tend  to 
form  themselves  into  three  or  four  great  classes. 
We  find  in  them  roughly  outlined  first  and  foremost 
a  series  of  covenants  assuring  pardon  to  the  penitent. 

This  great  blessing  is  pledged  to  the  world  in  many 
exquisitely  tender  and  beautiful  passages.  It  stands 
in  the  foreground  among  all  the  blessings  secured, 
by  the  grace  of  God  and  the  provisions  of  mercy  in 
the  gospel,  to  the  human  race.  Without  forgiveness 
there  could  be  no  basis  laid  in  the  consciousness  of 
the  sinner  for  any  later  and  larger  operation  of  mercy. 
What  prospect  could  there  be  for  the  renewal  of  our 
broken  natures,  for  the  rehabilitation  of  the  fallen  and 
ruined  structure  of  the  soul,  for  the  reconstruction 


134  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

of  the  marred  and  militant  faculties  which  under  the 
dominion  of  sin  have  waged  their  deadly  warfare 
within  us,  unless  first  the  assurance  of  pardon  for  all 
the  sins  of  the  past  were  afforded  to  the  sorrowing 
and  burdened  conscience? 

How  manifold  are  the  passages  in  which  God  re- 
veals his  willingness  to  forgive !  Those  who  depreciate 
and  malign  the  "God  of  the  Old  Testament' '  surely 
have  forgotten  or  for  the  time  ignored  the  many 
places  in  which,  even  in  the  Pentateuch,  his  forgiving 
mercy  is  unfolded.  One  of  the  earliest  of  the  revela- 
tions made  to  Moses  thus  depicted  the  God  of  Israel : 

Exod.  34.  6  7  And  the  Lord  passed  by  before  him,  and  proclaimed,  The 
Lord,  the  Lord,  a  God  full  of  compassion  and  gracious,  slow 
to  anger,  and  plenteous  in  mercy  and  truth;  keeping  mercy 
for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression  and  sin. 

Turn,  for  example,  to  the  book  of  Leviticus,  and  note 
how  in  the  chapters  which  are  full  of  the  details  which 
describe  how  bullocks,  sheep,  and  goats  are  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  sacrifice,  and  in  what  manner  various 
oblations  are  to  be  offered,  there  runs  through  the 
whole  order  of  service  like  a  strain  of  heavenly  music 

Lev.  4.  26,  31,  the  refrain,  occurring  again  and  again,  "and  he  shall 

Lev  5  10  16  ^e  forgiven,"  "and  he  shall  be  forgiven."  In  one 
18  of  the  oldest  of  the  Psalms  Jehovah  is  described  as 

Psa.  103.  3  the  One  "who  forgive th  all  thine  iniquities."  One 
of  the  greatest  of  the  prophets,  rehearsing  expressly 

Jer  31.  34  the  "new  covenant"  which  was  to  be  fulfilled  in  the 
gospel,  makes  this  particular  mention  of  the  blessing 
of  pardon:  "I  will  forgive  their  iniquity,  and  their  sin 
will  I  remember  no  more."    In  what  varied  imagery 


THE  PROMISES  135 

the  prophets  depict  the  completeness  of  this  provision 
of  the  divine  mercy!  The  Orient  form  of  speech, 
with  its  vast  capacity  for  symbolism,  is  stretched  to 
its  limit  in  order  to  express  the  fullness  of  God's  mercy 
in  this  respect: 

I  have  blotted  out,  as  a  thick  cloud,  thy  transgressions.  Isa.  44.  22 

As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west,  so  far  hath  he  removed  Psa.  103.  12 

our  transgressions  from  us. 

Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  Isa.    1.  18 

snow;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool. 

Thou  hast  cast  all  my  sins  behind  thy  back.  38.  17 

Thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into  the  depths  of  the  sea.  Mic.  7.  19 

In  the  New  Testament  this  provision  of  God's 
grace,  ministering  satisfaction  to  the  deepest  needs 
of  the  soul,  finds  still  larger  expression. 

Our  Lord,  throughout  his  ministry,  assumed  and 
proclaimed  as  his  own  divine  prerogative — which  has 
ever  been  regarded  as  one  of  his  chief  claims  and 
credentials — the  right  to  forgive  sins.     He  said  to 
the  multitude  at  Capernaum,  in  the  moment  when  he 
healed  the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  "Ye  may  know  that  Matt.  9.  2-6 
the  Son  of  man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins." 
To  the  man  himself  he  said,    "Son,  be  of  good  cheer, 
thy  sins  are  forgiven."  To  the  woman  who  was  a  sin- 
ner the  Master  said,  "Thy  sins  are  forgiven."     When  Luke  7.  48 
he  instituted  the  Lord's  Supper  he  declared,  "This  is  Matt.  26.  28 
my  blood  of  the  new  covenant,  which  is  shed  for  many 
for  the  remission  of  sins."     And  at  the  very  last,  in 
his  final  instructions  to  his  apostles,  he  taught  them, 
"Thus  it  is  written,  that  the  Christ  should  suffer,  and  Luke  24. 46, 47 
rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third  day;  and  that 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached 


136  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

in  his  name  unto  all  the  nations/ '  The  remission  of 
Acts  2.  38  sins  was  held  forth  by  Peter  in  his  sermon  on  the  Day 
of  Pentecost  as  the  glad  privilege  of  even  the  me'n  who 
had  plotted  and  executed  the  death  of  their  Lord,  and 
throughout  Paul's  preaching  and  writing  the  same 
Col.  1. 14  jubilant  note  is  sounded,  that  "in  him  we  have  our 

redemption,   through  fys  blood,   the  forgiveness  of 
our  trespasses." 

Scores  of  other  passages  might  be  cited  were  it 
necessary  to  amplify  the  truth  which  we  are  setting 
forth.  It  is  clear,  however,  without  further  proof, 
that  many  of  the  provisions  of  mercy,  set  forth  in 
varied  phraseology,  in  many  parts  of  the  Book,  center 
in  and  radiate  forth  from  this  one  main  covenant, 
namely,  that  God  offers  to  the  contrite  penitent  the 
blessing  of  pardon.  The  burden  may  be  lifted,  the 
darkness  may  be  scattered,  the  smitten  and  tortured 
conscience  may  be  healed  by  forgiveness!  The  soul, 
disburdened  of  its  load,  may  exultantly  sing : 

O  love,  thou  bottomless  abyss, 
My  sins  are  swallowed  up  in  thee! 

Covered  is  my  unrighteousness, 
Nor  spot  of  guilt  remains  on  me, 

While  Jesus'  blood,  through  earth  and  skies, 

Mercy,  free,  boundless  mercy,  cries. 

5.  Another  abundant  and  fruitful  cluster  of  promises 
assure  guidance  and  protection  to  those  who  are 
allied  to  God  by  faith  and  obedience.  Encouraged 
by  these  promises  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ  may  go 
forth  with  gladness  to  meet  duty,  danger,  trial,  sor- 
row, and  loss,  without  complaint  and  without  dread. 
Pain  and  disease  may  afflict  the  body,  property  may 


THE  PROMISES  137 

be  destroyed,  calamities  inexplicable  in  their  severity 
may  occur,  but  those  who  trust  and  obey  are  confi- 
dent that  their  real  interests  are  secure  in  God's 
keeping.  In  the  midst  of  midnight  gloom  they  may 
steady  themselves  on  the  truth  which  supported  one 
of  God's  messengers  in  the  ancient  days:  "When  I  Mic.  7.  8 
sit  in  darkness  the  Lord  will  be  a  light  unto  me." 
They  learn  by  their  experiences  of  God's  help  in  trying 
hours  that  the  real  thing  in  this  world  is  character, 
and  that  one  of  its  noblest  elements  is  fortitude. 
For  the  cultivation  of  this  knowledge  and  this  faith 
there  are  many  covenants  given,  of  which  these  are 
specimens : 

My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest.   Exod.  33. 14 

He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his  name's  psa.  23.    2 
sake. 

The  meek  will  he   guide  in  judgment:  and  the  meek  will  25.    9 

he  teach  his  way. 

I  will  instruct  thee  and  teach  thee  in  the  way  which  thou  32.    8 

shalt  go :   I  will  guide  thee  with  mine  eye. 

Thou  shalt  guide  me  with   thy  counsel,  and  afterward  re-  73.  24 

ceive  me  to  glory. 

The  Lord  shall  guide  thee  continually,  and    satisfy  thy   Tsa.  58.  11 
soul  in  dry  places,  and  make  strong    thy  bones;  and  thou 
shalt  be  like  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a  spring  of  water, 
whose  waters  fail  not. 

O  fear  the  Lord,  ye  his  saints:  Psa.  34.  9, 10 

For  there  is  no  want  to  them  that  fear  him. 
The  young  lions  do  lack,  and  suffer  hunger: 
But  they  that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want 
any  good  thing. 

If  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of   the  field,  which  to-day  is,    Matt.  6.  30 
and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith? 

And  we  know  that  to  them  that  love  God  all  things  work    Rom>  8.  28 
together  for  good,  even  to  them  that  are  called  according  to 
his  purpose. 


138  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Phil.  4. 6,  7  In  nothing  be  anxious;  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and 

supplication  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made 
known  unto  God.  And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all 
understanding,  shall  guard  your  hearts  and  your  thoughts 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

Deut.  33.  25  As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be. 

6.  The  word  '  'comfort"  sums  up  the  contents  and 
spirit  of  another  set  of  scriptural  promises.  These 
covenants  of  grace  are  adapted  to  the  condition  of 
men  and  women  and  children  living  in  a  world  of 
care  and  sorrow,  subject  to  bereavement  and  mis- 
fortune, and  liable  on  every  side  to  various  forms  of 
trouble  and  trial.  Amid  such  conditions  and  often 
oppressed  by  them  the  world  would  be  a  dismal  and 
hopeless  region  unless  it  were  cheered  and  enlightened 
and  buoyed  up  by  the  solaces  which  can  be  adminis- 
tered only  from  a  higher  Power.  Such  solaces,  of  a 
manifold  variety,  are  enshrined  in  many  passages  of 
Scripture,  which  have  proved  for  ages,  to  a  countless 
number  of  forlorn  and  needy  souls,  the  source  of 
strength  and  hope.  To  these  words  of  consolation 
all  manner  of  afflicted  ones  have  turned — parents 
grieving  for  their  dead  children,  little  ones  crying  out 
for  "the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand  and  the  sound  of  a 
voice  that  is  still";  strong  men  who  have  suddenly 
found  the  props  swept  from  beneath  their  feet  and 
the  earthly  foundations  giving  way  in  an  hour  of 
unforeseen  loss  and  calamity;  prisoners  immured 
because  of  their  love  for  liberty,  their  fealty  to  con- 
science, and  their  affection  for  God's  Word;  martyrs 
in  their  cells  or  at  the  stake  or  on  the  rack,  or  ostra- 
cized and  cast  out  from  home  and  society  for  the 


THE  PROMISES  139 

stand  they  have  taken  in  behalf  of  duty  and  Christ — 
these  and  countless  hosts  besides  have  turned  to 
God's  Word  and  in  it  have  found  exhaustless  foun- 
tains of  refreshment,  "wellsprings  in  the  desert,' ' 
strength  to  hold  them  up,  courage  and  fortitude 
wherewith  to  bear  otherwise  intolerable  burdens,  and 
grace  to  help  in  every  time  of  need.  Without  the 
consolation  which  God  has  thus  made  what  resource 
would  be  left  for  man  on  earth  in  sorrow  and  suffering? 
Whither  could  we  turn,  or  to  whom  or  to  what  could 
we  go  in  bereavement  and  disaster,  had  we  no  com- 
forting covenants  in  the  Bible? 

Many  pages  could  be  filled  with  citations  instancing 
this  biblical  feature;  we  must  be  content  with  a  few 
which  are  typical  of  scores  of  utterances  fraught  with 
a  consolation  nowhere  else  to  be  found: 


As  one  whom  his  mother  comforteth,  so  will  I  comfort  you.   Isa.    GG.  13 

The  Lord  also  will  be  a  refuge  for  the  oppressed,  a  refuge   Psa.      9.    9 
in  times  of  trouble. 

In  the  time  of  trouble  he  shall  hide  me  in  his  pavilion :  in  27.    5 

the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he  hide  me;  he  shall  set  me 
up  upon  a  rock. 

Many  are  the  afflictions  of   the  righteous:  but  the  Lord  34.  19 

delivereth  him  out  of  them  all. 

Jehovah  will  support  him  upon  the  couch  of  languishing;  41.    3 

Thou  makest  all  his  bed  in  his  sickness. 

God  is  our  refuge   and   strength,  a  very  present  help   in  4G.    1 

trouble. 

Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  sustain  thee.  55.  22 

My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth;  but  God  is   the  strength  73.  2G 

of  my  heart  and  my  portion  forever. 

Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his   children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  103.  13 

them  that  fear  him. 

This  is  my  comfort  in  my  affliction:   for  thy  word  hath  119.  50 

quickened  me. 

And  there  shall  be  a  tabernacle  for  a  shadow  in  the  day-   Isa.      4.    6 


140  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

time  from  the  heat,  and  for  a  place  of  refuge,  and  for  a 
covert  from  storm  and  from  rain. 

Isa.     40.    1  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your  God. 

43.    2  When  thou  passest  through  the    waters,  I  will  be  with 

thee;   and  through  the  rivers  they  shall  not  overflow  thee; 
when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire  thou  shalt  not  be  burned : 
neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee. 
61.  1,  2         He  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  pro- 
claim liberty  to  the  captives,  ...  to  comfort  all  that  mourn. 

John  14.  1,  18        Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled;  ye  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  me.  ...  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless. 

2  Cor.  1.3  4  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 

the  Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  comfort;  who  com- 
forteth  us  in  all  our  affliction,  that  we  may  be  able  to  com- 
fort them  that  are  in  any  affliction,  through  the  comfort 
wherewith  we  ourselves  are  comforted  of  God. 

Pardon,  safety,  comfort:  what  clusters  of  blessings 
are  provided  in  these  promises  which  we  have  thus 
brought  together  in  order  before  the  eye!  There  are 
many  other  treasures  in  the  world,  gold,  silver,  pre- 
cious stones,  houses,  lands,  great  estates,  wealthy 
kingdoms,  vast  empires  crowded  with  material 
resources:  but  there  are  times  in  a  human  life  when 
a  single  precious  promise  from  God's  Word,  inherited 
by  faith,  affording  foothold  for  the  soul,  and  light  for 
the  tear-blinded  eyes,  and  bringing  near  the  healing 
and  helping  touch  of  a  Father's  hand,  is  worth  more 
than  all  these  treasures  put  together! 

Who,  then,  can  overestimate  the  beauty,  the  at- 
tractions, the  exhaustless  charms  of  a  volume  which 
is  compact  with  hundreds  of  such  covenants  of  mercy? 


CHAPTER  XI 
HOME  LIFE  IN  THE  BIBLE 


141 


Wherefore  putting  away  all  filthiness  and  overflowing  of 
wickedness,  receive  with  meekness  the  implanted  word,  which 
is  able  to  save  your  souls.  But  be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  and 
not  hearers  only,  deluding  your  own  selves.  For  if  any 
one  is  a  hearer  of  the  word,  and  not  a  doer,  he  is  like  unto  a 
man  beholding  his  natural  face  in  a  mirror:  for  he  beholdeth 
himself,  and  goeth  away,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what 
manner  of  man  he  was.  But  he  that  looketh  into  the  perfect 
law,  the  law  of  liberty,  and  so  continueth,  being  not  a  hearer 
that  forgetteth,  but  a  doer  that  worketh,  this  man  shall  be 
blessed  in  his  doing. 

—James  1. 21-25. 


Does  the  Lord  of  glory  speak 

To  his  creatures  here  below? 
And  may  souls  so  frail  and  weak 

All  his  gracious  dealings  know? 
Does  the  blessed  Bible  bring 
Tidings  from  our  heavenly  King? 

Oh  with  what  intense  desire 

Should  we  search  that  sacred  book! 

Here  our  zeal  should  never  tire; 
Here  we  should  delight  to  look 

For  the  rules  by  mercy  given, 

To  conduct  our  souls  to  heaven. 

Shall  not  he  that  humbly  seeks 

All  the  light  of  truth  discern? 
Do  we  not,  when  Jesus  speaks, 

Feel  our  hearts  within  us  burn? 
For  his  soul-reviving  voice 
Bids  the  mourner  to  rejoice. 

Lord,  thy  teaching  grace  impart, 
That  we  may  not  read  in  vain; 

Write  thy  precepts  on  our  heart, 
Make  thy  truths  and  doctrines  plain: 

Let  the  message  of  thy  love 

Guide  us  to  thy  rest  above. 

— William  H.  Bathurst. 


142 


CHAPTER  XI 
HOME  LIFE  IN  THE  BIBLE 

1.  The  pictures  of  home  life  in  the  Scripture,  the 
ideals  of  domestic  conduct  and  character  which  are 
therein  embodied,  and  the  rules  laid  down  in  the  Book 
for  the  cultivation  of  the  moral  and  religious  life  of 
the  household,  have  been  chief  among  the  forces  that 
have  helped  to  elevate  mankind  and  shape  the  higher 
civilization  of  our  race.  The  nobler  joys  of  the  house- 
hold, the  amenities  which  soften,  sweeten,  and  illu- 
mine its  fellowship,  the  sympathies  which  bind  in 
one  communion  father,  mother,  and  children  in  de- 
lightful relationships  and  in  common  aims  and 
hopes,  and,  in  brief,  all  the  varied  interests,  employ- 
ments, comforts,  and  inspirations  which  are  clustered 
together  under  the  term  "the  Christian  home,"  find 
their  source  and  origin  in  the  examples  and  teachings 
of  the  Bible.  Wherever  those  teachings  are  unknown 
or  ignored,  the  institution  called  a  home,  with  the 
virtues  and  graces  inseparably  associated  with  it  in 
Christendom,  is  not  to  be  found;  while  wherever  the 
Scripture  goes  it  carries  with  it  as  a  matter  of  course, 
and  by  virtue  of  its  leavening  influence  and  its  models 
of  domestic  character  and  helpfulness,  the  ministra- 
tions and  graces  out  of  which  grow  home  life,  homo 
affections,  and  home  happiness. 

Were  it  necessary  to  fortify  this  ground  and  to 

143 


144  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

prove  this  contention,  all  that  would  be  necessary 
would  be  to  study  domestic  life  in  Christian  nations, 
or  in  the  better  classes  of  the  Hebrew  race  in  contrast 
with  the  same  phase  of  existence  in  Mohammedan  or 
pagan  countries,  or  amid  savage  tribes,  where  child- 
hood is  neglected,  woman  is  a  slave,  the  place  of 
residence  a  prison,  and  domestic  life  a  scene  of  selfish- 
ness, cruelty,  ignorance,  and  often  manifold  degrada- 
tion. At  its  very  best,  home  life  in  heathen  environ- 
ments— or  in  non-Christian  circumstances,  if  the  term 
is  preferred — is  so  far  removed  in  its  tone,  fellowship, 
mutual  recognition  of  rights,  privileges,  and  self- 
denying  love  from  the  ideals  of  the  Bible  that  the 
difference  is  seen  at  a  glance,  and  felt  by  the  heart 
and  perceived  by  intuitions  even  where  it  is  not 
immediately  seen  with  the  eye.  The  home,  as  blessed, 
purified,  elevated,  pictured  in  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  New,  is  an  institution  which  comes  down  to  us 
from  Edenic  traditions,  and  in  its  noblest  estate  is 
fraught  with  so  many  blessings,  benefits,  and  com- 
forts that  there  is  hardly  any  other  single  realm  of 
God's  bounty  to  be  compared  with  it. 

2.  In  our  time,  when  facilities  for  travel  are  so 
many,  and  when  it  is  so  easy  to  visit  outlandish 
countries,  and  to  compare  observations  and  expe- 
riences of  different  regions  and  civilizations,  this  con- 
trast has  become  all  the  more  vivid.  The  testimony 
of  tourists  and  of  missionaries,  the  studies  of  explorers 
and  sociologists,  the  revelations  of  the  photographer 
and  the  painter,  as  to  the  condition  of  children  and 
women  in  those  lands  where  the  gospel  has  not  yet 


HOME  LIFE  IN  THE  BIBLE  145 

gained  the  right  of  way,  are  all  of  the  same  sort, 
putting  emphasis  on  the  fact  that  everywhere  in  the 
world  where  gospel  light  has  not  yet  shone  there  is 
lacking  from  the  life  of  our  race  that  manifold  and 
most  benign  institution  which  we  sum  up  into  the 
sweetest  word  in  our  language  and  glorify  in  a  song 
that  will  never  die — "Home,  Sweet,  Sweet  Home." 
The  very  first  answer  that  students  of  the  institutions 
of  the  world  would  make  to  the  question,  What  is  the 
radical  difference  you  found  in  your  journeys  be- 
tween English-speaking  countries,  for  instance,  and 
those  lands  where  alien  faiths,  or  pagan  beliefs  and 
practices,  prevail?  will  be  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
couched  in  some  such  words  as  these:  "The  great 
mark  of  distinction  lies  in  the  treatment  accorded 
to  women  and  children,  and  in  the  life  and  spirit  of 
the  home.  We  have  found  nothing  anywhere  in  the 
non-Christian  world  to  compare  with  the  home  as  we 
know  it  under  the  reign  of  the  gospel.' ' 

3.  Home,  as  outlined  in  the  Bible  at  the  beginning, 
was  a  place  of  fellowship  and  union  between  a  man 
and  a  woman,  joined  by  common  tastes  and  services 
and  adaptations  by  the  Almighty  in  marriage.  The 
current  shocking  theories  of  experimental  marriage, 
free-love,  communal  rather  than  personal  responsi- 
bility, care  of  children  by  the  State,  and  other  "liberal" 
and  socialistic  doctrines  of  that  ilk,  find  no  counte- 
nance in  the  Bible.  In  the  early  traditions  in  Genesis 
there  are  found  a  man  and  a  woman — not  a  man  and  a 
harem  of  several  females — united  in  this  relationship. 
The  fact  of  polygamy  in  the  households  of  Abraham, 


146  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Jacob,  David,  and  Solomon,  which  finds  record  in 
the  Old  Testament  narrative,  nowhere  meets  with 
the  approval  of  Jehovah.  In  each  instance  where 
it  exists  it  brings  a  tragedy  with  it,  and  no  reasonable 
theory  of  biblical  interpretation  can  attribute  blame 
for  its  existence  upon  the  Almighty.  The  jealousy 
and  collisions  and  bitterness  arising  between  Sarah 
and  Hagar  in  the  home  of  Abraham;  the  divisions 
in  the  home  of  Jacob,  occasioned  in  part  by  his 
polygamous  relations;  the  retributions  of  various 
sorts  which  smote  David  on  account  of  his  polyga- 
mous habits;  and  the  disgrace  plainly  attributed  to 
Solomon,  who  allowed  in  his  old  age  his  heathen 
wives  to  steal  away  his  affections  from  the  God  of 
Israel,  and  whose  last  days  are  blighted  with  this 
fact,  and  who  dies  apparently  in  this  apostate  con- 
dition— these  are  all  indications  in  the  record  that 
the  divine  law  encouraged  monogamy;  and  that  it 
gave  no  countenance  to  plural  marriages,  as  the  Mor- 
mons call  them  in  our  time. 

The  further  fact  bearing  on  this  question  is  the 
family  life  of  the  Hebrew  people,  who  in  spite  of  the 
so-called  "examples"  of  their  early  leaders,  have 
always  been  monogamous,  and  who  have  been  noted 
everywhere  for  the  purity  and  elevation  of  their 
home  life,  which  has  been  copied  after  biblical  ideals. 

4.  Glimpses  of  careless,  easy-going,  and  envious 
habits  in  the  home  are  given  here  and  there  in  Scrip- 
ture as  warnings;  and  as  such  they  speak  in  noun- 
Gen.  13. 12  certain  manner  to  each  successive  age.  When  Lot, 
for    instance,   disregarding    the   wickedness   of   the 


HOME  LIFE  IN  THE  BIBLE  147 

new  neighborhood,  the  monstrous  vices  of  the  people, 

and  their  heathenish  characteristics,  and  attracted 

only  by  the  rich  pasturage  to  be  anticipated  for  his 

flocks  and  herds,  and  the  opportunity  thus  afforded 

for  gain,  "pitched  his  tent  toward  Sodom,"  he  invited 

domestic  calamities  and  sore  retribution  which  will 

never  lose  their  edifying  lessons  for  the  world.     In 

what  solitary  conspicuity  stands  Athaliah,  whose  son,  2  Chron.  22.  3 

Ahaziah,  wTas  one  of  the  kings  of  Judah.     The  Book 

pinnacles  her  in  bad  preeminence  wThen  it  tells  us 

that  "his  mother  was  his  counselor  to  do  wickedly." 

How  startlingly  that  single  fact  comes  out  of  the 

nebulous  and  misty  past  as  we  study  the  record,  and 

how  this  bit  of  history  thus  written  down  serves  to 

warn  us  of  the  harm  wThich  a  mother  wTho  is  worldly, 

selfish,  resentful,  hateful,  may  do  to  her  children  by 

her  spirit,  her  counsels,  and  her  example.    The  cruel, 

imperious,  and  idolatrous  Jezebel,  her  name  to  all  l  Kings  ch.  21 

time  a  synonym  of  the  worst  qualities  of  a  perverted 

and  loose-reined  womanhood,  stands  in  the  record  as 

an  illustration  of  the  evils  that  come  to  the  palace, 

to  the  social  circle,  and  to  the  nation  where  such  a 

woman  is  the  power  behind  the  throne. 

5.  Happily,  such  examples  as  these  are  rare  in  the 
Book.  The  women  of  the  Bible  are  nearly  all  types  l  Sam.  ch.  1-3 
of  piety,  industry,  and  devotion.  Hannah,  for  ex- 
ample, is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  loving,  humble, 
praying  mother,  casting  her  care  on  the  Lord,  im- 
ploring God's  blessing  and  guidance  for  her  offspring 
even  before  they  are  born,  and  by  her  solicitude  and 
her  maternal  services  and  sympathies  commending 


148  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

herself  to  all  who  may  profit  by  her  example.  What 
tender  household  ties,  what  common  bonds  of  fidelity, 
bereavement,  sympathy,  and  kindness  are  blended 
in  the  story  of  the  Moabitess  and  her  mother-in-law, 
that  has  come  down  to  us  as  fresh  in  its  beauty  as  a 
lily  of  the  valley  in  springtime,  the  very  heart  of  the 
story  enshrined  in  the  precious  words  of  the  one  to 
the  other  in  a  critical  hour  of  wretchedness  and  want : 

Ruth  1. 16-18  And  Ruth  said,  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  and  to  return 
from  following  after  thee:  for  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go; 
and  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge :  thy  people  shall  be  my 
people,  and  thy  God  my  God:  where  thou  diest,  will  I  die, 
and  there  will  I  be  buried :  the  Lord  do  so  to  me,  and  more 
also,  if  aught  but  death  part  thee  and  me. 

6.  Household  discipline  and  filial  affection  are 
among  the  lofty  ideals  of  family  life  embodied  in 
the  instructions  of  the  Word.  In  the  Decalogue  it 
was  commanded  to  Israel,  "Honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother";  while  to  this  day  in  all  Hebrew  families 
the  passage  which  they  know  as  the  "Shema"  is 
recited  by  parents  and  children  together: 

Deut.  6.  4-9  Hear,  O  Israel :  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord :  and  thou 

shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might.  And  these  words, 
which  I  command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  upon  thine  heart: 
and  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  children,  and 
shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house,  and  when 
thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest  down,  and 
when  thou  risest  up.  And  thou  shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign 
upon  thine  hand,  and  they  shall  be  for  frontlets  between 
thine  eyes.  And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  doorposts 
of  thy  house,  and  upon  thy  gates. 

Among  the  utterances  of  Hebrew  Wisdom  are  these: 

Prov.  1.  8,  9  My  son,  hear  the  instruction  of  thy  father, 

And  forsake  not  the  law  of  thy  mother: 


HOME  LIFE  IN  THE  BIBLE  149 

For  they  shall  be  a  chaplet  of  grace  unto  thy  head, 
And  chains  about  thy  neck. 

Hearken  unto  thy  father  that  begat  thee,  Prov.  23.  22 

And  despise  not  thy  mother  when  she  is  old. 

Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth.        Eccl.  12. 1 

The  principles  thus  set  forth  found  exemplification 
in  the  praise  awarded  to  Abraham,  of  whom  Jehovah 
is  depicted  as  saying: 

For  I  know  him,  that  he  will]  command  his  children  and   Gen.  18.  19 
his  household  after  him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  to  do  justice  and  judgment. 

Joshua  is  represented  as  announcing  this  devout  Josh.  24.  15 
pledge  of  fealty  for  himself  and  his  family:  "As  for 
me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord." 

The  womanly  ideals  and  occupations  and  charms 
pictured  in  the  closing  verses  of  Proverbs — cited 
in  full  at  the  end  of  this  chapter — have  value  and 
interest  not  merely  for  the  people  for  whom  they 
were  originally  set  forth,  but  for  all  generations. 
Thus  in  brief  the  Old  Testament  lessons  concerning 
the  home  pass  before  us,  all  of  them  arrayed  with 
indelible  grace  and  beauty.  It  is  no  wonder,  when 
we  study  these  instructions  and  principles  and  ex- 
amples, that  the  Jews  have  in  all  ages  been  noted  for 
the  piety  and  simplicity  of  their  family  life,  for  it  has 
been  built  upon  these  enduring  foundations. 

7.  In  the  New  Testament  these  ideals  are  glorified 
at  the  opening  of  the  story  by  the  scenes  at  Bethlehem 
and  at  Nazareth.  Poets  and  painters  for  many 
centuries  have  striven  devoutly  to  reproduce  these 
scenes,  and  they  have  not  only  added  to  the  trophies 


150  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

of  artistic  genius  by  their  labors,  but  they  have 
helped  to  people  the  imagination  and  heart  of  the 
world  with  the  pictures  they  have  painted — pictures 
of  childhood  and  motherhood  which  have  ennobled 
all  life  and  added  to  the  worth  and  to  the  opportuni- 
ties of  every  generation  that  has  been  born  since  the 
Babe  of  Bethlehem  nestled  in  the  manger.  Every 
child  in  the  world  to-day  has  a  larger  inheritance  and 

John  1. 14  looks  up  into  a  brighter  sky  because  the  Word  be- 
came flesh  and  dwelt  among  men,  and  walked  the 
earth  in  garments  of  poverty  and  toil.  Life  has  a 
new  meaning,  childhood  and  womanhood  have  a  new 
value  and  beauty  through  the  Incarnation,  and  homes 
everywhere  are  brightened  by  the  light  which  illumines 
the  ages,  shining  from  the  Virgin  and  her  Child. 

Matt.  18.  2-6    And,  later  in  the  record,  when  Jesus  took  a  little 

Mark  9.  36,  37  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples  and  said, 
10. 13-15  " Whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name 
receive th  1116,"  and  when  he  instanced  the  spirit  of  a 
little  child  as  the  type  of  docility  and  love  to  be 
exemplified  in  conversion,  and  when  he  uttered  his 
invitation,    "Suffer   the   little   children,   and   forbid 

Matt.  19. 14  them  not,  to  come  unto  me" — in  all  these  cases  he 
opened  new  possibilities  for  childhood  in  all  ages  and 
lands. 

Our  Lord's  relation  to  social  joys  and  fellowships 
and  to  the  life  of  the  household  as  revealed  in  his 
friendships  and  his  daily  habits  during  his  ministry 
is  suggestive.  The  institution  of  marriage,  as  we 
are  told  in  the  wedding  ceremony  which  has  come 
down  to  us  from  remote  ages  hallowed  by  centuries 


HOME  LIFE  IN  THE  BIBLE  151 

of  blest  associations,  was  "by  his  presence  and  first  John  2. 1-12 
miracle  that  he  wrought  at  Cana  of  Galilee  adorned 
and  beautified";  and  more  than  once  the  record  shows 
that  he  who  could  fitly  share  the  gladness  of  the  festal 
occasion  could  also  weep  with  those  who  weep.  His 
spirit  of  compassion,  for  example,  shown  toward  a 
sorrowing  woman  was  typified  at  the  gates  of  Nain, 
where  he  raised  from  the  dead  a  young  man — "the 
only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow."  At  Luke  7.  11-17 
Bethany,  in  the  home  of  Lazarus,  Martha,  and  Mary,  10.  38-42 

he   frequently  found  respite   and   welcome   on   his  John  12. 1-8 
journeys,  his  communion  with  that  domestic  circle 
standing  out  in  the  record  as  a  luminous   instance  of 
the  engaging  social  habits  of  the  Son  of  man.     At  the 
cross,  burdened  with  the  agonies  of  atonement,  and 
struggling  in  the  horror  of  great  darkness  which  for 
a  time  immured  his  soul,  he  turned  his  eyes  toward 
his  anguish-stricken  mother,  who  knelt  on  the  earth, 
and  commended  her  to  the  care  of  his  beloved  dis- 
ciple— "Woman,   behold   thy  son!"     Nor  were   the  John  19.  25- 
little  ones  forgotten  by  the  Master  when  he  came  to      2 
take  final  leave  of  his  flock  of  disciples,  for  one  of  his 
parting  commissions  was  spoken  to  Peter,  and  to  the 
Church    through    him:    "Feed    my    lambs."     What  John  21. 15 
wisdom  is  found  in  Paul's  instructions:   "Fathers, 
provoke  not  your  children  to  anger,  lest  they  be  dis-  gph.  6.  4 
couraged :  but  bring  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  Col.  3. 21 
admonition  of  the  Lord." 

8.  With  these  examples  and  teachings  before  them, 
it  is  not  strange  that  the  early  Church,  in  apostolic 
times  and  later,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  heathen 


152  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

world  by  the  purity  of  its  home  life,  the  intelligence 
and  refinement  of  its  women  folk,  and  the  sweet- 
ness and  filial  devotion  exhibited  by  its  children. 
And  in  our  own  day,  when  the  word  "home"  and  the 
blessings  suggested  by  it  mean  so  much — crowded 
with  joys  unknown  except  in  this  realm  of  life — is  it 
not  increasingly  evident  that  we  are  indebted  to  the 
Scripture  for  this  great  heritage  of  domestic  privilege 
and  happiness?  A  home  where  the  Bible  is  loved  and 
obeyed,  where  prayer  is  daily  offered,  where  Christ 
is  exalted  in  song  and  in  worship,  where  spiritual 
fellowship  crowns  and  sanctifies  all  other  bonds, 
where  light  from  scriptural  promises  shines  alike  on 
the  hoary  head  and  on  the  unconscious  beauty  of 
childhood — a  home  like  that  at  Bethany,  where  Jesus 
was  a  welcome  guest,  a  home  where  comfort  from  on 
high  is  assured  in  bereavement  and  in  other  times  of 
anxiety  and  trial — such  an  institution  has  its  source 
and  roots  in  the  Bible,  in  the  conceptions  of  parental 
duty,  of  filial  affection,  and  of  loving  service  which 
make  up  a  goodly  portion  of  its  celestial  charms. 


CHAPTER  XII 

BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAN 


153 


A  virtuous  woman  who  can  find? 

For  her  price  is  far  above  rubies. 

The  heart  of  her  husband  trusteth  in  her, 

And  he  shall  have  no  lack  of  gain. 

She  doeth  him  good  and  not  evil 

All  the  days  of  her  life. 

She  seeketh  wool  and  flax, 

And  worketh  willingly  with  her  hands. 

She  is  like  the  merchant-ships; 

She  bringeth  her  food  from  afar. 

She  riseth  also  while  it  is  yet  night, 

And  giveth  meat  to  her  household, 

And  their  task  to  her  maidens. 

She  considereth  a  field,  and  buyeth  it: 

With  the  fruit  of  her  hands  she  planteth  a  vineyard. 

She  girdeth  her  loins  with  strength, 

And  maketh  strong  her  arms. 

She  perceiveth  that  her  merchandise  is  profitable: 

Her  lamp  goeth  not  out  by  night. 

She  layeth  her  hands  to  the  distaff, 

And  her  hands  hold  the  spindle. 

She  spreadeth  out  her  hand  to  the  poor; 

Yea,  she  reacheth  forth  her  hands  to  the  needy. 

She  is  not  afraid  of  the  snow  for  her  household; 

For  all  her  household  are  clothed  with  scarlet. 

She  maketh  for  herself  carpets  of  tapestry; 

Her  clothing  is  fine  linen  and  purple. 

Her  husband  is  known  in  the  gates, 

When  he  sitteth  among  the  elders  of  the  land. 

She  maketh  linen  garments  and  selleth  them; 

And  delivereth  girdles  unto  the  merchant. 

Strength  and  dignity  are  her  clothing; 

And  she  laugheth  at  the  time  to  come. 

She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom; 

And  the  law  of  kindness  is  on  her  tongue. 

She  looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household, 

And  eateth  not  the  bread  of  idleness. 

Her  children  rise  up,  and  call  her  blessed; 

Her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth  her,  saying: 

Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously, 

But  thou  excellest  them  all. 

Favor  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain: 

But  a  woman  that  feareth  the  Lord,  she  shall  be  praised. 

Give  her  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands; 

And  let  her  works  praise  her  in  the  gates. 

— Prov.  31.  10-31. 

154 


CHAPTER  XII 
BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAN 

There  remain  to  be  noted  some  of  the  fundamental 
ideals  of  Scripture  on  which  generations  of  men,  in 
many  lands,  have  been  building  their  highest  achieve- 
ments of  doctrine  and  daily  living,  and  to  which  we 
owe  an  inestimable  debt  in  view  of  the  shaping  force 
thus  exerted  on  our  characters  and  aims. 

1.  One  of  these  conceptions,  lying  at  the  very  base 
of  all  noble  living,  is  the  idea  and  ideal  of  God  which 
we  find  in  the  Bible.  That  ideal,  it  should  be  kept 
in  mind,  is  not  found  in  any  one  section  or  book  in 
its  entirety.  The  revelation  of  God's  character  and 
relationship  to  man  is  gradually  given;  it  is  a  growth — 
it  resembles  "the  shining  light,  which  shineth  more  Prov.  4. 18 
and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."  Those  who  ignore 
this  principle  of  the  gradual  development  of  doctrine 
in  the  Scripture,  who  search  through  the  Hexateuch 
for  instances  of  a  low  moral  standard  prevalent 
among  the  early  Hebrews,  and  who  gloat  over  the 
strange  commands  therein  found  as  alleged  to  have 
come  from  Jehovah,  and  then  malign  the  "God  of 
the  Old  Testament"  as  a  cruel  and  monstrous  being, 
unworthy  of  reverence  and  worship,  thereby  fall  into 
lamentable  error.  To  understand  the  God  of  the 
Bible  we  must  take  into  consideration  that  he  had 
to  shape  his  instructions  and  his  revelations  of  himself 

155 


156  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

to  the  childish  comprehensions  of  the  people  of  a 
primitive  time.  Even  in  our  own  day  when  parents 
give  their  first  instructions  concerning  the  Supreme 
Being  to  their  little  ones  they  frequently  use  the 
term  "the  Good  Man"  to  symbolize  the  Creator. 
They  use  language  and  similes  and  stories  suitable 
to  the  naive  mind  of  childhood.  Bearing  this  prin- 
ciple in  mind,  and  reflecting  also  on  the  fact  that  the 
Hebrews  were  accustomed  to  attribute  directly  to 
the  personal  agency  of  Jehovah  all  things  that  happen 
in  human  experience — impressions  on  the  mind, 
dreams  of  the  night,  visions  in  the  darkness,  thunders 
in  the  sky,  earthquakes — we  may  reasonably  interpret 
some  of  the  commands  and  acts  ascribed  to  Jehovah 
in  that  early  portion  of  the  record  so  as  not  to  cast  a 
blemish  on  the  moral  character  of  the  Divine  Being. 
At  any  rate,  whether  or  not  the  difficulties  referred  to 
can  all  be  cleared  up,  it  should  be  evident  to  any  man 
of  discernment  that  it  is  not  reasonable  to  take  a  few 
instances  out  of  the  primitive  records  and  on  them 
as  the  sole  basis  construct  a  picture  of  the  character 
of  the  Hebrew  Jehovah.  In  order  to  acquaint 
ourselves  with  him  we  should  search  through  the 
whole  Book,  comparing  scripture  with  scripture, 
noting  the  increasing  light  which  shines  on  the  divine 
character  and  administration  from  generation  to 
generation,  until  in  the  New  Testament  his  Father- 
hood is  fully  unfolded. 

While  in  the  Pentateuch,  and  in  the  books  which 
closely  follow  in  the  record,  God  is  revealed  largely 
as  a  mysterious  and  awful  Sovereign,  yet  there  are 


BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAN  157 

noble  hints  here  and  there  of  his  tender  care,  his 

gentle    sympathies,    his    loving    nature.     What    an 

exquisite  touch  is  given  to  Abraham's  relations  with 

Jehovah  when  it  is  related  that  the  patriarch  was 

called  the  friend  of  God!    With  what  compassion  is  Isa.  41.8 

the    declaration    made    by    the    Almighty    to    the 

Israelites  in  Egypt:  "I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  Exod. 3. 7, 8 

of  my  people,  .  .  .  and  have  heard  their  cry;  I  know 

their  sorrows,  .  .  .  and  I  am  come  down  to  deliver 

them"!   What  comfort  is  lodged  in  an  assurance  like 

this:  "I  will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  knew 

not;  in  paths  that  they  have  not  known  will  I  lead  Isa.  42. 16 

them"!     With  what   impressiveness  and  skill   the 

majestic  power  of  the  Most  High  is  yoked  with  hi? 

condescending  care  in  the  words: 

He  gathereth  together  the  outcasts  of  Israel.  Psa.  147.  2-4 

He  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 

And  bindeth  up  their  wounds. 

He  counteth  the  number  of  the  stars; 

He  giveth  them  all  their  names! 

These  are  not  sporadic  passages,  hidden  out  of 
sight  in  the  old  record;  they  are  characteristic  teach- 
ings, and  might  be  matched  by  scores  of  similar 
utterances  which  serve  to  unfold,  age  after  age,  the 
merciful  attributes  of  the  God  of  Israel. 

2.  In  the  New  Testament  the  Fatherhood  of  the 
Almighty,  moreover,  is  clearly  and  constantly  set 
forth.  When  the  Master  speaks  of  God  he  nearly 
always  calls  him  "your  Father,"  and  his  divine  com- 
passion toward  his  children  is  illustrated  in  the 
Saviour's  teachings  by  his  care  for  the  birds,  the  111— 


158  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

ies,  and  the  grass.  Paul  uses  the  comprehensive  and 
Rom.  15.  5, 13  tender  terms,  "the  God  of  patience/'  "the  God  of 
2  Cor.  l.  3  hope/'  "the  Father  of  mercies  and  God  of  all  com- 
fort/' to  suggest  to  us  the  loving  and  forbearing 
qualities  which  belong  to  him.  These  citations,  and 
hosts  of  others  which  might  be  culled  out  of  the 
pages  of  the  Book,  should  suffice  to  indicate  the  unrea- 
sonable attitude  of  those  who  judge  the  Almighty  by 
a  few  instances  of  apparent  cruelty  found  in  the 
earlier  Scriptures,  and  refuse  to  take  into  consid- 
eration the  whole  broad  record  in  which  there  is  a 
gradual  revelation  of  the  ineffable  perfections  and 
tender  mercies  of  our  Father  in  heaven. 

3.  Much  space  is  given  in  the  Bible  to  the  various 
attributes  of  Jehovah.  It  would  require  many  pages 
of  this  volume  to  reproduce  the  passages  which  set 
forth  his  character  and  administration.  Perhaps 
it  will  be  possible  to  give  a  compact  and  vivid  por- 
trayal of  some  phases  of  his  manifold  being  by  citing 
a  single  terse  utterance  or  two  to  indicate  some  of 
these  delineations  as  biblical  writers  have  conceived 
and  pictured  them: 

Psa.  147.  5  Omnipotence:    Great  is  our  Lord,  and  mighty  in  power.  .  .  . 

Prov.  21.  30  There  is  no  wisdom  nor  understanding  nor  counsel  against 
Jer.  32. 17  the  Lord.  .  .  .   Thou  hast  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth 

by  thy  great  power  and  by  thy  stretched-out  arm:  there  is 

nothing  too  hard  for  thee. 
Jer.  23.  24  Omnipresence  and  Omniscience:    Can   any  hide  himself  in 

Psa.  139. 1  2  secret  places  that  I  shall  not  see  him?  saith  the  Lord.  Do 
Prov  15  3'  not  *  fi^  heaven  and  earth?  saith  the  Lord.  .  .  .  O  Lord, 
Psa  147   *>         thou  hast  searched  me,  and  known  me.  .  .  .   Thou  under- 

standest  my  thought  afar  off.  .  .  .   The  eyes  of  the  Lord 

are  in  every  place,  beholding  the  evil  and  the   good.  .  . 

His  understanding  is  infinite. 


BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAN  159 

Justice  and  Holiness:  Justice  and  judgment  are  the  habi-  Psa.    89.  14 
tation  of  thy  throne.  .  .  .   The  Lord  is  righteous  in  all  his  145.  17 

ways,  and  holy  in  all  his  works.  .  .  .    Shall  not  the  Judge  Gen.  18.  25 

of  all  the  earth  do  right?  .  .  .    The  heavens  are  not  clean  J°D  15.  15 

in  his  sight.  .  .  .  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Isa>  6-  3 

Mercy,  Loving-kindness:  Thy  loving-kindness  is  better  than  Psa.  63.    3 

life.  ...  Oh    how    great    is    thy    goodness.  ...    He    that  31.  19 

toucheth  you  toucheth  the  apple  of  his  eye.  ...    He  keepeth  Zech.  2.  8 

covenant  and  mercy.  .  .  .  God  is  love.  P^u^'7".9o 

1  John  4.  8 

The  stern,  implacable,  and  imperious  God  of  arbi- 
trary power,  but  little  better  than  an  enthroned 
Fate,  worshiped  by  the  Mohammedans;  the  hideous 
aggregation  of  deities  found  in  the  Hindu  triad  and 
in  other  pagan  faiths;  the  gods  and  goddesses  of 
ancient  polytheism,  seated  on  Olympus,  with  their 
jealousies,  their  plots,  their  stupendous  vices  and 
habitual  cruelties — we  can  hardly  contrast  these 
alleged  deities,  even  in  our  thought,  for  one  moment 
with  the  God  of  the  Bible,  without  stopping  to 
ask  the  Almighty's  pardon  for  our  seeming  irrever- 
ence. 

Furthermore,  how  can  we  for  one  moment  in 
reason  compare  the  God  whom  we  worship  as  our 
Father  in  heaven  with  the  mysterious  Some-Thing- 
or-Other  with  which  pantheism  fills  the  universe,  or 
with  the  inscrutable  Force  which,  according  to  Her- 
bert Spencer,  and  others  who  accept  his  doctrines^ 
lies  back  of  all  visible  and  material  phenomena? 
Turning  from  all  these  supposed  manifestations  of 
deity  we  may  reverently  cry  out:  Lord,  Thou  art 
great,  and  greatly  to  be  praised,  and  thy  greatness  is 
unsearchable!  In  thy  kingdom  thou  rulest  over  all. 
Thou  art  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  and 


160  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

thou  art  also  our  Father,  our  Comforter,  our  Re- 
deemer!   Blessed  be  thy  name  for  evermore. 

4.  The  biblical  ideals  of  life  command  attention 
also,  along  with  the  ideals  of  God's  character  which 
we  have  been  studying. 

According  to  the  old  Roman  sages  and  popular 
standards  the  highest  ideals  of  character  were  strenu- 
ous, martial,  imperious.  The  best  man  m^their 
view  was  the  man  of  strength,  the  champion  in  the 
arena,  the  conqueror  of  a  province,  the  winner  of  a 
triumphal  procession  and  its  attendant  honors. 
So  captivated  were  the  Roman  people  by  the  pomp, 
the  glory,  and  the  power  of  palace,  and  court,  and 
field,  that  they  in  their  thought  and  in  their  temples 
elevated  those  who  had  been  distinguished  in  these 
realms  to  a  supposed  rank  of  deity  after  death. 

Different  ideals  of  character  and  achievement 
prevailed  among  the  Greeks,  who  exalted  physical 
beauty,  mental  alertness,  intellectual  ability,  success 
in  the  sciences  and  the  arts — in  a  word,  whatever 
might  be  compacted  into  the  term  "wisdom,"  which 
in  their  view  had  but  a  limited  scope.  The  man  who 
could  argue  in  the  school  of  logic,  solve  problems  in 
mathematics,  carve  a  noble  statue,  erect  a  magnifi- 
cent temple,  win  a  prize  in  the  Grecian  games — he 
was  a  man  worth  while ! 

There  have  been  limited  regions  where  political 
success  filled  the  measure  of  men's  thoughts  as  the 
highest  sign  of  human  greatness.  The  typical  big 
man  in  such  a  case  is  the  man  who  has  won  an  office, 
who  can  be  called  King,  or  President,  or  Governor, 


BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAN  161 

or  even  by  some  less  pretentious  title.  And  it  must 
be  added  that  the  highest  ideal  which  many  in  our 
day  have  cherished  is  furnished  by  the  title  multi- 
millionaire! 

Very  different  is  the  ideal  of  human  greatness 
presented  in  the  Bible.  Some  of  the  elements  of 
the  biblical  ideal  of  character  and  life  commended 
and  commanded  in  the  Book  may  be  very  briefly 
outlined. 

5.  One  of  them  is  prayerfulness.  In  every  true 
life,  according  to  the  teachings  and  examples  of  the 
Scripture,  prayer  must  have  a  fundamental  place. 
The  good  man  must  be  in  touch  with  his  Father  by 
daily  fellowship  of  thought  and  purpose;  he  must  be 
able  to  lay  his  needs  and  cares  before  that  Father  all 
the  while,  and  when  necessary  tell  him,  as  a  child 
may  tell  his  earthly  parent,  his  anxieties,  his  wants, 
his  deepest  desires  and  longings,  and  his  consciousness 
of  sin,  failure,  and  ill-desert.  He  will  ask  for  some- 
thing when  needed,  and  will  be  ready  to  get  along 
without  it  if  his  Father  does  not  see  fit  to  grant  what 
is  besought.  Thus  his  life  of  prayer  will  be  not  a 
mere  chronic  effort  to  "get  something"  from  God  by 
persistent  supplication,  but  rather  an  experience  of 
inward  fellowship,  a  reaching  out  of  the  soul  after 
God's  help  and  grace,  a  submission  of  the  soul  to  the 
will  of  the  Father,  moment  by  moment,  and  grateful 
acceptance  of  the  gifts  which  come  from  on  high. 

6.  Trustfulness  is  a  further  factor  of  the  life  en- 
joined in  Scripture.  The  man  who  prays  will  also 
have  faith — faith  in  God's   wisdom,  goodness,  and 


162  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

helpful  care.     His  inward  cry  will  often  find  expres- 
Psa.  31. 15        sion  in  the  psalmist's  words,  "My  times  are  in  thy 
hand."     In  prosperity  or  in  privation,  in  periods  of 
success  and  in  experiences  of  failure  and  defeat,  he 
will  still  say,  "The  Lord  will  provide."     Sometimes 
he  may  be  able  to  see  and  declare,  as  he  reflects 
upon  past  perils  and  sorrows  and  persecutions,  what 
Joseph  testified,  looking  back  to  his  days  of  wretch- 
Gen.  50. 20       edness  and  servitude  and  exile — "The  Lord  meant  it 
for  good."     And  in  every  emergency,  even  the  worst, 
while  in  the  path  of  duty,  he  will  be  able  to  say, 
Heb.  13. 6         "The  Lord  is  my  helper:  I  will  not  fear." 

7.  Industrious -application  to  one's  daily  duties  is 
an  added  element  in  the  biblical  ideal  of  life.  Through- 
out the  book  of  Proverbs  the  indolent  man  is  admon- 
ished concerning  the  wickedness  and  clanger  of  his 

Prov.  20.  4      habits.     "The  sluggard  will  not  plow  by  reason  of 

J2*  24      the  cold;  therefore  shall  he  beg  in  harvest,  and  have 

nothing."     He  is  further  warned  in  this  alarming 

utterance:  "So  shall  thy  poverty  come  as  a  robber, 

and  thy  want  as  an  armed  man."     On  the  other  side 

of  the  case,  we  are  assured  that  the  hand  of  the 

diligent    shall    bear    rule.     Against    tattlers,    busy- 

2Thess.  3.  io,    bodies,  and  idlers  Paul  directs  his  sharp  rebukes, 

1  Tim.  5. 13       and  he  also  urges  that  the  believer  must  be  not 

?(h%124  U      slothful  in  diligence,  but  fervent  in  spirit,  as  he  serves 

the  Lord;  while  the  Master  cries  out,  feeling  the 

pressure  of  opportunity,  "We  must  work  .  .  .  while 

it  is  day:  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can  work." 

8.  Courage,  furthermore,  is  set  before  us  as  a  car- 
dinal virtue.     More  than  a  score  of  times  is  the  rousing 


BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAX  163 

admonition  spoken  to  God's  leaders  or  to  his  warring 
hosts:  "Be  strong,  and  of  a  good  courage;  fear  not; 
quit  yourselves  like  men!"  We  are  not  summoned 
in  Scripture  to  a  serene,  mystical,  easy-going  life, 
nor  is  the  ascetic,  brooding,  and  dreamy  mood,  as 
exemplified  in  certain  Oriental  forms  of  religion, 
encouraged  in  the  Bible.  The  battle  cries  of  Saint 
Paul,  "Endure  hardness  as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  2  Tim.  2. 3 
Christ,"  "Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,"  "Be  not  Eph.e.n 
weary  in  welldoing,"  "As  we  have  opportunity,  let  ' 

us  work,"  are  full  of  urgency,  ardor,  and  desperate 
earnestness.  The  soldierly  and  virile  phases  of  char- 
acter and  activity  in  his  writings  are  kept  well  to  the 
front.  The  ideal  man,  as  pictured  in  the  Scripture, 
is  not  a  complaisant,  spiritless,  anaemic  creature,  by 
any  means.  He  has  red  blood  in  his  veins;  he  is  Rom.  12. 9 
a  good  hater  as  well  as  a  good  lover;  he  has  learned 
to  abhor  that  which  is  evil;  to  him  life  is  a  conflict, 
on  which  eternal  issues  depend.  Reformers  and 
martyrs  in  countless  hosts  have  revealed  these  ele- 
ments of  character,  and  thus  embodied  before  the 
ages  the  heroic  element,  which,  incarnate  in  so  many 
biblical  examples,  forms  a  constituent  in  the  combi- 
nation of  traits  that  make  up  ideal  Christian  manhood. 
9.  Service  is  another  element  in  the  biblical  con- 
ception of  life  as  it  is  embodied  in  great  examples, 
and  illumined  by  the  spirit  of  the  Master.  He  who  Acts  10.  38 
went  about  doing  good  is  set  forth  as  the  one  to  be 
emulated;  as  he  stoops  to  perform  the  act  of  a  menial 
he  says  to  his  disciples,  "I  have  given  you  an  example."  John  13.  15 
His  ministry  was  crowded  with  deeds  of  compassion, 


164 


CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 


46 


Dan.  12. 13 
James  5.  20 


each  one  of  which  was  a  parable  in  action,  intended 
Matt.  25.  31-  to  prompt  imitation.  In  his  picture  of  the  judgment 
he  sets  those  who  have  fed  the  hungry,  clothed  the 
naked,  visited  the  sick  and  the  prisoner,  and  wel- 
comed and  cared  for  the  needy  and  forlorn,  on  the 
right  hand,  to  be  rewarded  for  their  merciful  minis- 
trations. The  privilege  of  helping  men  into  the 
kingdom  is  urged  upon  us  by  two  great  passages, 
which  are  luminous  with  suggestiveness  and  en- 
couragement: "They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness 
shall  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever";  "He  who 
converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way  shall 
save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall  cover  a  multitude 
of  sins."  The  great  commission  spoken  by  the  Mas- 
ter before  his  ascension  was  intended  not  for  his 
apostles  alone,  but  for  his  followers,  his  universal 
Church:  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature,  ...  to  the  whole  creation. 
.  .  .  Go,  make  disciples  of  all  nations;  ...  ye  shall 
be  my  witnesses  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth."  The  duty  is  therefore  laid  not  on  a  few  but 
on  the  many  to  proclaim,  either  in  person  or  by 
proxy,  to  the  whole  world  the  glad  tidings  of  salva- 
tion through  Christ. 

The  followers  of  Christ  are  just  awaking  to  their 
duty  to  render  "social  service"  to  the  unfortunate, 
to  rescue  the  outcast,  to  help  the  deserving  poor,  to 
alleviate  the  condition  of  the  prisoner,  to  shepherd 
the  lost,  to  go  after  the  erring,  to  remedy  as  far  as 
they  can  the  inequities  and  the  injustices  that  are 
current,  and  to  embody  in  daily  life  and  in  practical 


Mark  16. 15 
Matt.  28.  19 
Luke  24.  46 
Acts  1.  18 


BIBLICAL  IDEALS:  GOD  AND  MAN  165 

helpfulness  the  doctrine  that  God  is  our  Father  and 
that  we  are  all  brethren. 

Loving,  self-sacrificing  brotherly  service  to  others, 
based  upon  and  reproducing  in  substance  that  which 
our  Lord  rendered  during  his  record  on  the  earth — 
this  is  an  essential  phase  of  the  ideal  life  which  is  set 
before  us  in  the  Bible  to  be  translated  into  speech 
and  into  action. 

10.  Two  additional  far-reaching  and  engaging  traits, 
which  cohere  fitly  in  a  symmetrical  character,  and 
which  have  separate  and  yet  harmonious  activities — 
patience  and  hope — have  their  place  in  the  ideal  life 
as  enjoined  in  the  Bible. 

"Ye  have  need  of  patience" ;  "Let  patience  have  her  Heb.  10.  36 
perfect  work" — here  are  two  out  of  many  commands  James  *■ 4 
which  urge  upon  us  this  culminating   virtue,  which 
gives  a  coronal  beauty  to  every  other  grace  in  human 
character.     Substantially  the    Bible  says   in   many 
passages  what  Longfellow  has  put  into  one  of  his  lines: 

"Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait." 

In  that  adage  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  perfect  victory. 
And  meanwhile,  during  the  stress  and  tumult,  the 
tempest  and  the  night,  the  Book  continually  says  in 
one  form  or  another,  "Be  of  good  cheer;  hope  in  the 
Lord."  To  him  who  trusts  in  God,  who  faithfully 
attends  to  his  duty,  who  toils  on  in  his  mission, 
better  days  are  sure  to  come.  His  best  times  are 
always  ahead  of  him,  no  matter  what  may  happen 
temporarily  to  cloud  his  sky  and  to  delay  the  hour 
of  victory.    Far  away  in  the  dim  distance,  in  the  un- 


166  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

known  future,  but  surely  provided  for  him,  is  the 
Gal.  6.9  fulfillment  of  the  promise:  "In  due  season  we  shall 

reap,  if  we  faint  not."  Girded,  therefore,  and  under- 
girded,  by  these  two  invincible  factors  of  success, 
hope  and  patience,  the  lover  and  follower  of  Christ 
is  stayed  and  buoyed  up  for  conflict  or  suffering. 

Is  not  the  ideal  life,  outlined  thus  from  Scripture, 
an  attractive  and  arousing  conception?  Is  not  the 
Bible  enhanced  in  value,  in  human  interest,  and  in 
beauty  as  well,  when  we  find  it  enshrining  this  com- 
posite and  glorious  picture  of  what  a  man  ought  to 
be  during  his  stay  on  earth? 

Prayer,  trustfulness,  industry,  courage,  brotherly 
service,  patience,  hope — where  in  creation  may  we 
find  a  worthier  or  more  winning  combination  of  gentle 
and  virile  graces  than  these? 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT 


:167 


I  write  unto  you,  my  little  children,  because  your  sins  are 
forgiven  you  for  his  name's  sake.  I  write  unto  you,  fathers, 
because  ye  know  him  which  is  from  the  beginning.  I  write 
unto  you,  young  men,  because  ye  have  overcome  the  evil  one. 
I  have  written  unto  you,  little  children,  because  ye  know  the 
Father.  I  have  written  unto  you,  fathers,  because  ye  know 
him  which  is  from  the  beginning.  I  have  written  unto  you, 
young  men,  because  ye  are  strong,  and  the  word  of  God 
abideth  in  you,  and  ye  have  overcome  the  evil  one.  Love 
not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world.  If 
any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him. 
For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust 
of  the  eyes,  and  the  vainglory  of  life,  is  not  of  the  Father, 
but  is  of  the  world.  And  the  world  passeth  away,  and  the 
lust  thereof :  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  forever. 

—1  John  2.  12-17. 


Lamp  of  our  feet,  whereby  we  trace 

Our  path  when  wont  to  stray; 
Stream  from  the  fount  of  heavenly  grace, 

Brook  by  the  traveler's  way; 

Bread  of  our  souls,  whereon  we  feed; 

True  manna  from  on  high; 
Our  guide  and  chart,  wherein  we  read 

Of  realms  beyond  the  sky; 

Pillar  of  fire,  through  watches  dark, 

And  radiant  cloud  by  day; 
When  waves  would  whelm  our  tossing  bark, 

Our  anchor  and  our  stay: 

Word  of  the  everlasting  God, 

Will  of  his  glorious  Son, 
Without  thee,  how  could  earth  be  trod, 

Or  heaven  itself  be  won? 

Lord,  grant  us  all  aright  to  learn 

The  wisdom  it  imparts; 
And  to  its  heavenly  teaching  turn, 

With  simple,  childlike  hearts. 

— Bernard  Barton. 


168 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT 

What  has  the  Bible  to  do  with  the  intellectual 
growth  of  the  world,  with  educational  progress,  and 
with  the  spread  of  the  highest  forms  of  culture? 
What  appeal  does  it  make  to  intelligent  and  discern- 
ing minds?  What  relation  has  it  sustained  to  the 
institutions  which  have  elevated,  informed,  and 
guided  the  ruling  intellects  from  age  to  age?  These 
are  some  of  the  questions  which  need  to  be  answered 
in  order  to  determine  certain  phases  of  the  attractive 
force  exerted  by  this  Book.  Our  answers  must  neces- 
sarily be  short  and  suggestive,  rather  than  elaborate 
and  complete. 

Turning  back  for  the  moment  to  the  age  when 
printing  became  one  of  the  new  forces  of  civilization 
and  enlightenment,  we  find  the  first  publication  of 
the  Scriptures  occupying  a  preeminent  place  of 
influence  and  revolutionary  power.  The  sixteenth 
century  was  just  completing  its  first  quarter  when 
the  New  Testament  in  German,  in  French,  and  in 
English  issued  from  the  press.  No  other  event  of 
that  period  can  for  a  moment  be  compared  in  impor- 
tance with  that  threefold  publication.  And  as  the 
Bible  thus  early  in  the  history  of  printing  became  a 
beacon  light,  heralding  the  progress  of  discovery  and 
pioneering  the  pathway  of  the  teacher,  so  it  has  con- 

169 


170  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

tinued  to  occupy  a  foremost  place  in  the  educational 
world.  It  has  never  lost  the  primacy  thus  empha- 
sized. Of  no  other  book  except  the  Bible  can  it  be 
said  that  it  has  been  translated,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
into  more  than  five  hundred  languages  and  dialects, 
and  literally  scattered  abroad  among  all  tribes  and 
nations  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

As  a  standard  of  usage  in  our  own  tongue  it  has 
an  authority  and  influence  which  are  supreme,  while 
it  has  stimulated  the  best  writers  and  afforded  a 
source  from  which  to  cite  apt  phrases  and  felicitous 
rhetorical  allusions  and  illustrations  to  a  degree  which 
has  put  it  beyond  reach  of  all  other  books  of  the  kind 
in  existence.  Nearly  all  great  schools  in  our  own 
country,  in  Great  Britain,  and  in  Europe  have  been 
founded  and  maintained  avowedly  in  the  primary 
interest  of  what  is  distinctively  called  Christian 
education,  by  men  who  had  been  trained  to  study, 
to  love,  and  to  exalt  the  Bible. 

This  contention  as  to  the  primacy  of  the  English 
Bible  among  the  agencies  which  arouse,  quicken, 
and  guide  the  mind  in  its  aspirations  and  conclusions 
cannot  reasonably  be  challenged.  The  question, 
then,  comes  up  for  brief  consideration :  What  ele- 
ments in  the  Book  possess  this  specific  illumining 
and  awakening  function?  How  does  it  come  that 
the .  Scripture  has  been  a  beacon  light  to  the  ages, 
that  it  has  pioneered  the  way  of  the  thinker,  the 
explorer,  the  inventor,  the  student,  and  that  it  has 
won  for  itself  a  position  unquestioned  among  the 
intellectual  forces  of  the  world? 


THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT  171 

1.  At  least  the  beginning  of  an  answer  to  these 
inquiries  is  afforded  when  we  consider  the  educating 
value  of  fellowship  with  great  writers.  A  book 
written  by  a  man  of  genius,  and  read  by  a  susceptible 
inquiring  student — hence  begins  a  new  career.  Many 
an  illustrious  leader  has  traced  his  intellectual  birth, 
his  first  notable  victory  over  hitherto  baffling  ob- 
stacles, his  start  toward  the  kingdom,  to  his  contact 
with  a  great  volume.  Many  readers  of  these  lines 
will  recall  with  a  thrill  of  gratitude  the  hour  when 
for  the  first  time  they  became  acquainted  with, 
perhaps,  the  nature  poems  of  Wordsworth,  or  the 
majestic  characteristics  of  Paradise  Lost,  or  when 
they  first  read  a  great  novel — The  Cloister  and  the 
Hearth,  David  Copperfield,  Les  Miserables,  or  Vanity 
Fair.  One  of  the  most  eminent  of  American  teachers, 
for  years  at  the  head  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
at  Washington,  often  told  how  he  had  been  led  in  his 
boyhood  to  take  up  the  study  of  the  natural  sciences, 
in  which  he  became  a  leading  American  authority, 
by  reading  a  science  primer  which  by  chance  fell  into 
his  hands  in  his  teens.  The  effect  upon  his  life  and 
plans  was  immediate  and  revolutionary.  He  was 
at  once  transplanted  into  a  new  intellectual  world, 
and  his  mind  underwent  a  complete  renovation. 

Communion  with  the  masterful  minds  whose  works 
are  collected  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  is  one 
of  the  secrets  of  the  influence  which  the  Book  exerts 
over  those  who  are  susceptible  to  such  contact. 
Apart  from  the  ministry  of  the  truths  contained  in 
these  books,  there  is  a  stimulating  effect  wrought 


172  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

upon  the  minds  of  those  who  trace  in  the  productions 
of  such  writers  as  Isaiah,  Amos,  David,  Moses,  and 
Paul  the  mental  operations,  the  tastes,  the  native 
bent,  the  literary  or  logical  gifts,  the  heart-yearnings, 
the  inner  visions,  and  the  ground  basis  of  noble 
character  which  underlie  and  make  possible  their 
work  in  the  Scripture.  Being  dead,  these  men  yet 
live,  not  merely  in  the  books  which  incorporate 
their  revelations  of  truth,  but  in  the  throbbing  heart- 
beats which  palpitate  throughout  their  writings. 

2.  Furthermore,  the  task  of  grappling  with  great 
thoughts,  of  pursuing  difficult  arguments,  of  dealing 
with  vast  themes,  of  studying  a  volume  into  which 
a  mighty  soul  has  poured  without  stint  its  very  life- 
currents,  brings  with  it  intellectual  recuperation  and 
growth  in  amazing  measure.  The  wrestler,  in  order 
to  develop  his  thews  and  sinews,  needs  to  tug  with 
an  antagonist  tough,  and  alert,  and  strong.  A  stu- 
dent or  reader  who  is  content  with  easy  tasks,  who 
never  undertakes  a  large  achievement,  who  chooses 
for  himself  lines  of  study  which  never  rouse  his  ener- 
gies to  their  fullest  exercise — what  can  be  expected 
of  him? 

The  themes  treated  in  the  Bible  are  the  noblest, 
most  commanding,  most  fundamental  to  be  found 
in  literature:  Who,  or  what,  lies  back  of  the  things 
which  we  see  and  hear  and  feel?  How  did  this 
universe  of  order,  beauty,  and  magnificence  come 
into  being?  Whence  came  the  human  race?  Whither 
are  we  drifting?  What  is  there  in  man  besides 
flesh  and  blood?    What  lies  beyond  death  and  the 


THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT     173 

grave?  How  shall  a  depraved  man  regain  mastery 
of  himself?  By  what  means  shall  the  heart  be 
renewed,  the  conscience  clarified  and  cleansed,  the 
life  made  over  again?  How  shall  the  superstitions, 
the  cruelties,  the  poverty  and  degradations  which 
through  countless  ages  have  burdened  savage  and 
barbaric  lands  be  removed?  How  shall  the  race  be 
made  over  again  into  a  life  of  purity  and  peace? 
How  shall  we  expedite  the  coming  of  the  glad  day  when 
man  shall  be  in  cordial  touch  with  his  brother  man 
the  wide  world  over?  Here  are  the  fundamental 
questions  of  the  centuries.  They  are  discussed,  illu- 
mined, argued,  in  part  solved,  in  the  Bible.  For 
these  problems  there  is  absolutely  no  solution  except 
that  which  the  Bible  furnishes,  or  helps  us  toward. 
The  student  who  studies  these  greatest  of  all  themes 
as  they  are  treated  in  Scripture,  who  learns  from 
that  Book  their  nature,  importance,  and  bearing, 
finds  not  only  light  and  knowledge,  but  an  intellectual 
renewal,  and  upbuilding,  and  discipline  of  an  ex- 
traordinary kind. 

3.  The  prescriptions  of  the  Word  looking  in  the 
direction  of  mental  and  moral  culture  are  many.  We 
have  already  cited  some  of  the  directions  given  to  the 
ancient  Hebrews  bidding  them  teach  the  law  diligently 
to  their  children — rules  which  were  from  remote 
times  carefully  followed  in  the  home  and  in  the 
schools  of  the  synagogue.  Concerning  mental  dis- 
cipline of  a  more  general  sort  the  utterances  of  the 
book  of  Proverbs  are  pertinent,  urging  men  to  seek 
for  wisdom  and  instruction,  to  increase  in  learning, 


174  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

to  attain  unto  sound  counsels,  and  declaring  that 
wisdom  is  the  principal  thing.  Who  can  read  the 
opening  chapters  of  this  sagacious  and  penetrating 
book  without  being  impressed  with  the  lofty  intellec- 
tual ideals  which  it  embodies  and  commands?  For 
many  centuries  the  Bible  has  urged  home  upon  men 
the  truth  that  it  is  only  the  foolish  who  refuse  to  be 
instructed,  who  are  willing  to  live  in  ignorance. 
The  directions  found  in  the  Bible  enforcing  the  duty 
of  religious  application — bidding  men  to  keep  the 
heart  with  all  diligence,  to  consider  their  ways,  to 
remember  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom — inevitably  involve  mental  discipline,  the 
regulation  of  the  thoughts,  the  government  of  the 
reason,  and  the  quest  of  secular  as  well  as  religious 
knowledge.  So  far  as  the  teachings  of  Saint  Paul 
are  concerned,  there  is  a  single  passage  which  has  in  it 
the  fundamental  principles  of  educational  science, 
both  in  theory  and  practice : 

Phil.  4.  8,  9  Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever 

things  are  honorable,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatso- 
ever things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatso- 
ever things  are  of  good  report ;  if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if 
there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things.  The  things  which 
ye  both  learned  and  received  and  heard  and  saw  in  me,  these 
things  do:  and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you. 

What  wise  advice  in  this  respect  he  gives  to  his  son 
in  the  gospel : 

1  Tim.  4. 13-15  Give  heed  to  reading,  to  exhortation,  to  teaching.  Neg- 
lect not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee.  ...  Be  diligent  in  these 
things;  give  thyself  wholly  to  them;  that  thy  progress  may 
be  manifest  unto  all.  Take  heed  to  thyself  and  to  thy 
teaching. 


THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT    175 

No  man  could  write  thus  without  holding  and  incul- 
cating a  noble  ideal  for  the  cultivation  of  the  intellec- 
tual life. 

4.  The  teachings  of  the  Bible,  again,  concerning 
the  mental  and  moral  structure  of  man's  complicated 
nature  are  fraught  with  incitements  and  helps  for 
intellectual  advancement.  The  psychology  of  the 
Bible  is  singularly  free  from  errors.  The  admonitions 
which  the  Book  gives — directed  to  reason,  imagina- 
tion, memory,  heart,  conscience,  and  will — need  no 
correction  in  order  to  apply  to  our  current  needs. 
The  more  closely  we  study  the  nature  of  man  as 
delineated  in  the  Scripture,  the  clearer  will  be  our 
insight  into  the  divine  wisdom  which  marks  that 
delineation,  and  our  apprehension  also  of  the  intimate 
relation  sustained  in  the  philosophy  of  the  Bible, 
and  in  its  application  to  daily  life,  between  the  reli- 
gion of  the  heart  and  the  culture  of  the  intellect. 

5.  An  additional  fact  bears  on  this  theme — namely, 
that  there  comes  very  often  in  human  experience, 
along  with  a  new  religious  experience,  a  quickening 
of  the  mental  faculties  and  the  mental  life.  Any 
college  teacher  can  give  testimony  concerning  this 
phenomenon  as  he  has  had  occasion  to  study  it  in 
his  daily  observations.  He  has  seen  an  unpromising, 
indolent,  careless,  perhaps  vicious  lad  wrought  upon 
by  an  awakening  influence  and  brought  in  a  single  day 
to  give  up  his  vices,  his  lazy  proclivities,  turn  com- 
pletely around  and  become  a  diligent,  devout,  and 
alert  student.  There  has  come  to  the  lad  not  only 
a  new  birth  for  his  religious  nature  but  also  a  new 


176  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

birth  for  his  intellect.  Almost  at  once  there  are 
revealed  mental  aptitudes,  quickened  faculties,  aspira- 
tions after  better  things,  not  known  in  the  lad's  history 
up  to  that  day  of  his  conversion.  And  the  change 
does  not  pass  away  as  the  whim  of  an  hour  or  the 
fad  of  a  year.  The  boy's  inner  life,  of  mind  and  soul, 
has  passed  through  a  genuine  renaissance.  New 
motives,  new  insight,  new  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  time,  a  new  sense  of  responsibility,  a  fresh  zeal  for 
knowledge,  and  a  changed  outlook  on  time  and  eter- 
nity— all  this  sometimes  takes  place  as  an  accom- 
paniment of  conversion. 

The  case  of  John  Bunyan  may  be  cited  as  suggesting 
the  extraordinary  influence  which  a  deep  religious 
experience  exerts  upon  the  whole  intellectual  nature. 
There  was  surely  nothing  in  the  environment,  habits, 
training,  native  proclivities,  or  home  life  of  Bunyan 
as  a  lad  to  indicate  that  the  fires  of  genius  were 
slumbering  in  his  breast.  Did  anyone  who  knew  him 
when  he  was  an  illiterate  vagrant  ever  fancy  for  a 
moment  that  this  young  tinker  lad  had  any  native 
talents  of  a  remarkable  type?  He  would  have  re- 
mained in  vagrancy  and  ignorance  but  for  the  experi- 
ence of  grace  which  saved  him  from  his  sins,  introduced 
him  into  a  new  fellowship,  quickened  all  his  intellec- 
tual and  moral  powers,  and  not  only  renewed  but 
transfigured  his  manhood. 

Milton's  case  is  somewhat  different,  but  it  illus- 
trates the  same  principle.  As  a  lad  he  cherished 
high  intellectual  ideals,  saw  in  his  visions  the  peaks 
of  poetical  achievement  which  he  aspired  to  climb, 


THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT     177 

and  diligently  cultivated  all  the  agencies  of  scholar- 
ship in  order  to  secure  the  best  culture  of  the  time. 
But  his  motives,  his  ruling  aims,  his  inner  life,  the 
very  atmosphere  in  which  he  moved — all  these  were 
religious.  It  is  simply  the  truth  to  say  that  he  never 
would,  and  never  could,  have  written  his  great  poetry 
without  the  help  which  religious  devotion  afforded. 

Many  instances  might  be  cited  from  the  realm 
of  hymnology  showing  that  the  poetic  faculty  lay 
almost  dormant  till  it  was  roused  in  the  breast  of  the 
newborn  believer  in  Jesus  Christ  by  the  grace  that 
had  induced  penitence  and  grateful  love.  Newton, 
Cowper,  and  Charles  Wesley  are  types  of  this  truth. 
But  for  their  religious  experience  they  could  hardly 
have  reached  celebrity  with  their  pens. 

A  single  tribute  from  a  man  who  was  certainly  not 
biased  in  favor  of  the  usual  orthodox  type  of  doctrine 
or  "the  current  ecclesiasticism"  may  be  cited  as  fur- 
nishing from  an  unquestioned  source  the  judgment 
of  one  who  looked  at  things  from  the  standpoint 
of  an  historian,  a  critic,  a  philosopher — the  late 
Right  Hon.  W.  E.  H.  Lecky,  author  of  two  great  books, 
the  History  of  England  in  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
and  the  History  of  European  Morals.  In  his  Democ- 
racy and  Liberty  he  says : 

It  is  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  moral  advantage  of  an 
early  and  complete  familiarity  with  the  biblical  writings. 
Such  familiarity  seldom  fails  to  do  something  to  purify, 
exalt,  elevate,  and  regulate  the  character,  to  exalt  the  imagi- 
nation, to  color  the  whole  texture  of  a  life.  Even  on  its  purely 
intellectual  side  its  value  is  very  great.  It  may  be  truly 
said  that  the  pure,  simple,  and  lofty  language  of  the  English 
Bible  has   done    more  than  any  other  single  influence  to 


178  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

refine  the  taste  of  the  great  masses  of  the  English  people. 
It  is  the  most  powerful  antidote  to  vulgarity  of  thought 
and  feeling. 

And  fitly  chiming  in  with  this  declaration  comes 
a  quotation  from  Dr.  Charles  A.  Briggs,  in  his  Biblical 
Study:  Its  Principles,  Methods,  and  History: 

Biblical  study  is  the  most  attractive  of  all  studies.  The 
variety  of  topic,  richness  of  material,  beauty  of  form,  wealth 
of  illustration,  the  vast  importance  of  its  themes,  the  unity 
in  which  the  amazing  variety  of  author,  age,  and  topic  is 
bound  together — all  make  the  Bible  the  most  interesting  and 
absorbing  study  for  peasant  and  prince,  for  child  and  sage, 
for  all  the  world.  .  .  .  The  Bible  is  a  book  of  life,  a  real  book, 
a  people's  book.  It  is  a  blessed  means  of  grace  when  used 
in  devotional  hours;  it  has  also  holy  lessons  and  beauties 
of  thought  and  sentiment  for  hours  of  leisure  and  recreation. 
It  appeals  to  the  aesthetic  and  intellectual  as  well  as  moral 
and  spiritual  faculties,  the  whole  man  in  his  whole  life. 

This,  by  the  way,  is  the  testimony  of  a  man  who 
has  had  the  advantage  of  foreign  study  and  travel, 
of  the  widest  culture,  and  who  has  been  a  student 
and  a  teacher  of  the  Scriptures  since  his  young 
manhood. 

6.  It  may  be  further  remarked  that  men  who  have 
spent  their  lives  in  biblical  research,  and  who  are 
masters  of  its  learning,  furnish  to  the  world  a  type 
of  scholarship,  of  alert  and  refined  manhood,  of  intel- 
lectual preeminence,  not  surpassed  in  all  the  wide 
realms  of  culture.  The  man  who  has  become  an 
authority  in  the  lexicography,  the  literature,  the  geog- 
raphy, the  archaeology,  the  linguistics,  or  the  expo- 
sition of  the  Bible — so  that  it  may  be  said  of  him 
that  he  knows  in  his  peculiar  field  all  that  can  be 
known  by  one  man,  and  is  still  learning — is  usually 


THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT     179 

as  fine  a  type  of  character  as  the  modern  world  can 
show.  Among  men  of  this  type  who  are  gone  let 
the  names  of  Philip  Schaff,  Edwards  A.  Park,  James 
Strong,  Henry  M.  Harman,  A.  B.  Davidson,  and 
George  P.  Fisher  be  recalled;  and  among  those  whose 
light  still  shines,  think  of  William  Sanday,  George 
Adam  Smith,  William  F.  Warren,  Francis  L.  Patton : 
what  profession,  what  sphere  of  research,  what  realm 
of  intellectual  achievement  can  furnish  men  to  surpass 
such  specimens  of  all-round,  full-orbed,  magnificent 
manhood?  Then  consider  this  truth :  these  men  owed 
their  development,  their  refined  tastes,  their  surpass- 
ing manhood  in  fullest  degree  to  their  devotion  as 
students  and  teachers  to  the  Bible.  That  Book  was 
the  chief  agency  in  making  them,  to  cite  Paul's  phrase, 
"full-grown  men." 

7.  The  field  of  biblical  inquiry,  it  must  be  kept  in 
mind,  is  no  narrow,  sectarian,  controversial  domain. 
The  man  who  has  in  any  genuine  sense  of  the  term 
mastered  the  Bible  must  know  many  cognate  branches 
of  learning — ethics,  psychology,  philosophy,  history, 
poetry,  literature,  sociology,  the  annals  of  ancient 
and  modern  exploration  and  discovery,  the  Hebrew 
and  Greek  tongues  as  well  as  the  modern  languages — 
for  these  all  have  their  roots  and  ramifications  in  the 
Scripture.  A  field  of  study,  therefore,  so  vast  and 
fruitful,  that  can  furnish  to  the  world  the  finest  types 
of  educated  manhood  to  be  found  anywhere,  com- 
mends itself  thereby  for  its  fructifying,  renewing, 
edifying  power. 

Were  we  to  ask  such  men  as  those  of  whom  we  have 


180  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

just  been  writing,  the  question,  "What  has  the  Bible 
done  for  your  mind?  What  has  the  gospel  done  for 
your  intellectual  powers?  What  help  has  religion 
ministered  to  you  in  your  search  after  culture,  and 
in  your  achievements  in  scholastic  pursuits?"  the 
replies  would  be  immediate  and  full  of  grateful 
recognition.  They  might  possibly  run  somewhat 
after  this  fashion:  "The  religion  of  the  Bible  has 
given  me  great  thoughts  to  deal  with;  it  has  set 
before  me  magnificent  intellectual  models  who  have 
served  to  waken  the  spirit  of  emulation  in  my  breast; 
it  has  purified  my  imagination,  and  given  it  wings  of 
strength  to  fly  through  spacious  regions  of  research; 
it  has  peopled  my  mind  with  glorious  ideals  of  char- 
acter and  achievement,  with  stimulating  conceptions, 
revealing  lofty  possibilities  for  myself  and  for  the 
human  race;  through  prayer  it  has  brought  light  on 
the  path  of  duty,  light  into  my  often  puzzled  brain, 
light  in  the  study  of  the  Word  and  the  works  of  God, 
it  has  exalted  my  life  with  its  noble  fellowships,  and 
introduced  me  into  a  company  of  refined,  intelligent, 
cultivated  spirits,  with  kindred  tastes,  a  common 
love  for  the  Bible,  and  a  joint  interest  in  the  service 
of  the  King,  uniting  us  in  blessed  communion;  it  has 
given  me  steadfastness  of  purpose,  a  stronger  will- 
power, a  vaster  horizon,  a  loftier  outlook  and  uplook, 
which  have  increasingly  ennobled  life.  These  are 
some  of  the  benefits,  aspirations,  and  inspirations 
which  the  Bible  has  brought  to  me  as  an  intellectual 
being.' ' 
The  personal  influence  of  such  a  cultivated  soul  as 


THE  APPEAL  TO  THE  INTELLECT  181 

we  have  been  delineating,  in  the  community  where 
he  lives,  is  often  an  extraordinary  element  in  its 
social  and  civic  life, — apart  from  the  work  which  he 
may  do  in  his  vocation  as  teacher,  pastor,  or  editor. 
One  such  man — by  his  winsome  ways,  his  refined 
tastes,  his  broad  horizon,  wit,  humor,  love  for  letters, 
his  luminous  and  edifying  conversation,  his  bonhomie, 
his  devotion  to  the  things  which  are  worth  while — in 
due  time  is  recognized  as  facile  princeps  in  each  circle 
in  which  he  moves.  He  becomes  a  radiating  center 
of  illumination,  a  leavening  power,  a  chief  agency  of 
beneficence,  whereby  childhood  is  ennobled  and  youth 
exalted  in  its  aims,  inert  souls  stimulated,  ignoble 
ambitions  changed,  and  all  the  life  of  the  community 
transfigured.  The  daily  walk  and  conversation  of 
one  such  man  is  an  inestimable  treasure  to  his  neigh- 
borhood. 

In  view  of  these  phases  of  the  ministry  of  the 
Scripture  to  the  higher  life  of  the  world,  can  there 
be  a  serious  question  on  the  part  of  the  well-informed 
concerning  the  educating,  enlightening,  mind-dis- 
ciplining function  of  the  Bible?  And  is  not  this 
function  of  the  gospel  one  of  its  world-illumining 
charms? 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CREDENTIALS 


183 


Again  on  the  morrow  John  was  standing,  and  two  of  his 
disciples;  and  he  looked  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  and  saith, 
Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God!  And  the  two  disciples  heard  him 
speak,  and  they  followed  Jesus.  And  Jesus  turned,  and 
beheld  them  following,  and  saith  unto  them,  What  seek  ye? 
And  they  said  unto  him,  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being  in- 
terpreted, Master),  where  abidest  thou?  He  saith  unto 
them,  Come,  and  ye  shall  see.  They  came  therefore  and 
saw  where  he  abode;  and  they  abode  with  him  that  day: 
it  was  about  the  tenth  hour.  One  of  the  two  that  heard 
John  speak,  and  followed  him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 
brother.  He  findeth  first  his  own  brother  Simon,  and  saith 
unto  him,  We  have  found  the  Messiah  (which  is,  being  in- 
terpreted, Christ).     And  he  brought  him  unto  Jesus. 

—John  1.  35-42. 

I  love  the  sacred  Book  of  God! 

No  other  can  its  place  supply; 
It  points  me  to  his  own  abode ; 

It  gives  me  wings  and  bids  me  fly. 

Sweet  Book!  in  thee  my  eyes  discern 

The  very  image  of  my  Lord; 
From  thine  instructive  page  I  learn 

The  joys  his  presence  will  afford. 

While  I  am  here  these  leaves  supply 
His  place,  and  tell  me  of  his  love; 

I  read  with  faith's  discerning  eye, 
And  gain  a  glimpse  of  joys  above! 

— Thomas  Kelly. 


184 


CHAPTER  XIV 
CREDENTIALS 

One  of  the  remarkable  traits  of  the  Bible  is  the 
variety  of  arguments  and  testimonies  which  have 
been  convincingly  used  to  demonstrate  its  super- 
human authority  and  influence.  Not  by  one  line  of 
persuasives  or  one  body  of  proofs  alone,  but  by  many, 
have  the  nations  been  convinced  that  the  Book  con- 
tains God's  revelation  of  himself  and  his  grace  to  the 
world.  The  multiplicity  and  culminating  force  of 
these  evidences,  when  duly  considered,  are  extraor- 
dinary features  of  the  Scriptures. 

The  dependence  placed  on  these  various  arguments 
used  to  defend  the  authoritative  character  of  the 
Book  varies  in  different  ages.  Attacks  are  made 
upon  the  Bible  now  from  one  quarter  and  again  from 
another;  and  accordingly  the  lines  of  defense  shift 
from  time  to  time.  Arguments  which  were  effective 
in  one  age  become  obsolescent,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  new  proofs  appear,  or  old  ones  are  modified  to 
meet  the  exigencies  of  the  hour,  or  fresh  emphasis  is 
put  upon  this  or  that  phase  of  what  the  theologians 
call  the  "apologetical  discussion." 

A  suggestion  is  needed  here  that  ordinary  readers, 
in  meeting  the  term  just  used,  are  liable  to  be  led 
astray  because  of  the  current  use  of  the  word  "apol- 
ogy."   This  term  in  connection  with  biblical  matters 

185 


186  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

is  used  in  its  strong  literal  sense — a  defense — not  a 
regretful  or  timid  excuse.  The  science  of  "apolo- 
getics" is  devoted  to  defending,  not  apologizing  for, 
the  Bible,  and  its  aim  is  to  set  forth  the  grounds  on 
which  the  Scriptures  are  believed  to  contain  a  mes- 
sage from  God  and  a  sufficient  rule  for  our  faith  and 
practice.  It  has  grown  in  our  time  to  be  a  very 
extensive  branch  of  biblical  learning.  Those  who 
have  not  recently  examined  this  phase  of  inquiry 
will  find  upon  giving  their  attention  to  it  that  it  is 
a  task  of  large  significance  and  import  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  phase  of  biblical  science  thus 
suggested.  The  scholarly  equipment,  for  instance, 
needed  for  the  preparation  of  such  a  work  as  "Apolo- 
getics; or,  Christianity  Defensively  Stated,"  by  the 
late  Professor  A.  B.  Bruce,  of  the  Free  Church 
College,  Glasgow,  or  such  a  book  as  "The  Divine 
Origin  of  Christianity  Indicated  by  its  Historical 
Effects,"  by  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs — 
two  of  the  ablest  and  most  complete  works  on  the 
subject  written  in  our  day — can  hardly  be  overstressed. 
Such  books  as  these  could  not  have  been  written  by 
men  of  ordinary  attainments.  The  vast  knowledge 
needed  in  the  case,  the  varied  fields  of  research  with 
which  the  authors  of  such  books  must  be  familiar, 
the  insight,  the  logical  acumen,  the  spirit  of  tolerance, 
the  straightforward,  truth-seeking  aim,  required  by 
such  colossal  tasks  as  are  enshrined  in  these  volumes, 
can  be  merely  hinted  at,  not  defined.  Those  who 
deal,  therefore,  with  the  Bible  flippantly,  who  fancy 
that  with  an  offhand  argument,  a  supercilious  objec- 


CREDENTIALS  187 

tion,  or  an  arrogant  assumption,  they  can  easily  set 
aside  the  claims  of  Scripture,  and  settle  its  authority 
with  a  sneer  or  an  attempt  at  witticism,  are  sorely — 
we  might  better  say,  tragically — mistaken.  The  man 
who  assumes  that  without  scholarly  preparation  he 
can  set  out  even  to  discuss  intelligently  the  great 
facts  on  which  the  proofs  of  the  Bible's  authority 
rest,  who  fancies  that  he  can  satisfy  the  claims  of 
reason  and  truth  by  lightly  or  imperiously  brushing 
aside  the  work  of  the  centuries  which  has  been 
aggregated  into  the  science  of  apologetics,  makes 
himself  by  his  folly  a  laughingstock. 

The  questions  before  us  are:  Does  the  Scripture 
contain  a  true  revelation  of  God's  character  and  will? 
Is  its  unfolding  of  the  actual  condition  and  needs  of 
man  correct?  Does  it  afford  us  a  pathway  out  of  sin 
and  sorrow  and  peril  into  fellowship  with  God?  Does 
it  reveal  an  assured  hope  of  immortality?  Does  it 
proclaim  a  system  of  perfect  morality,  of  brotherly 
kindness,  of  duty  and  destiny,  which  betokens  a 
divine  origin  and  a  superhuman  author?  Do  we  find 
in  the  Book,  throughout,  signs  of  a  wisdom,  a  search- 
ing insight,  a  compassion,  a  power,  far  above  any- 
thing that  man  himself  can  possibly  originate?  To 
these  questions,  which  are  of  practical  importance 
to  the  ordinary  reader  of  the  Word,  a  discerning 
answer  is  due. 

There  has  been,  as  suggested,  a  change  of  front  on 
the  part  of  the  defenders  of  the  faith  in  recent  years. 
The  old  arguments  have  in  part  been  held  in  reserve 
and  fresh  methods  of  indicating  the  reasons  why  men 


188  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

accept  the  Bible  as  containing  a  divine  revelation  have 
been  put  into  skillful  use.  The  slightest  glance  at  late 
volumes  devoted  to  the  "evidences  of  Christianity/' 
as  the  phrase  used  to  run,  will  show  a  changed  line 
of  argument  made  in  view  of  the  changed  viewpoints 
and  current  needs  of  Bible  students.  The  so-called 
"proofs"  which  were  reckoned  fifty  or  a  hundred 
years  ago  as  adequate  receive  less  prominence,  and 
other  facts  and  phases  of  the  Book  which  were  then 
but  scantly  stressed  are  now  brought  to  the  fore- 
ground. A  brief  rehearsal  of  the  arguments  which 
unite  in  their  testimony  that  the  Bible  contains 
the  final  revelation  of  God's  character  and  gracious 
purpose,  and  that  it  speaks  with  superhuman  authority 
to  the  human  race  concerning  matters  of  faith, 
doctrine,  and  duty,  may  help  us  to  see  how  manifold 
and  convincing  are  these  persuasives  in  their  culmi- 
nating force. 

A  single  remark  is  worth  while  in  advance  of  this 
rehearsal.  It  is  very  seldom  that  a  man  is  brought 
to  believe  in  the  Bible  or  to  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  a 
divine  Redeemer  by  argument  alone.  People  do  not 
usually  accept  the  Bible  because  some  method  of 
argumentation  has  persuaded  them  that  it  is  inspired, 
or  because  they  have  been  convinced  by  logical 
processes  that  it  contains  a  divine  revelation.  In 
most  cases  acquaintance  with  the  logical  proofs 
follows  the  acceptance  of  the  Bible  as  God's  Word; 
the  study  of  apologetics  does  not  usually  precede 
that  acceptance.  The  lines  of  argument  which  show 
that  it  is  reasonable  to  accept  the  Bible  as  a  true  and 


CREDENTIALS  189 

reliable  book  of  doctrine,  a  guide  to  religion,  filled 
with  blessed  promises,  and  stored  with  resources  of 
patience  and  help  and  comfort  found  nowhere  else  in 
any  other  volume,  come  into  use  generally  after  a 
soul  has  believed  in  the  great  salvation,  and 
help  to  supplement  and  confirm  and  make  stead- 
fast the  work  of  faith  already  accomplished  in  the 
heart. 

Furthermore,  it  is  not  necessary,  in  order  that  one 
shall  be  a  loyal  Christian,  that  he  shall  accept  com- 
pletely all  the  arguments  that  have  been  put  forth 
in  behalf  of  the  Bible  and  the  Christian  religion.  It 
is  conceivable  that  one  may  say  concerning  a  given 
argument  advanced  in  support  of  this  or  that  doctrine, 
or  in  behalf  of  the  whole  Bible,  "That  is  a  defective 
and  specious  plea;  I  cannot  accept  that  line  of  argu- 
ment/ '  and  yet  devoutly  and  implicitly  accept  the 
fact  itself.  The  arguments  may  not  persuade;  but 
of  the  doctrine  or  the  Book  the  inquirer  may  have 
no  question,  so  that  one  may  say,  perhaps,  concerning 
this  or  that  method  of  presenting  the  case,  "I  accept 
the  truth  involved,  with  all  my  heart;  but  not  on 
the  ground  presented  by  that  putting  of  the  case,  or 
by  that  argument." 

Perhaps  we  are  now  ready  to  tell  the  towers  and 
count  the  bulwarks  of  Zion,  or  at  least  to  go  up  on 
the  watchtowers  and  find  out  for  ourselves  that  the 
city  of  our  God — this  Scripture  city  of  doctrine,  and 
promise,  and  poetry,  and  history,  and  parable,  and 
biography — is  well  guarded,  that  its  walls  are  not 
yet  undermined,  that  its  treasures  are  still  secure, 


190  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

and  that  such  guarantees  of  our  inheritance  as  are 
stored  away  in  the  inclosure  are  still  safe. 

1.  The  argument  based  on  the  fulfillment  of  proph- 
ecy has  long  been  reckoned  one  of  the  proofs  that 
the  Bible  is  an  inspired  volume.  In  recent  years 
this  argument  has  been  held  in  the  background, 
or  has  at  least  changed  its  form.  It  has  not,  however, 
lost  its  force  or  value.  The  prophecies  concerning 
the  Jewish  people,  written  ages  ago,  are,  for  instance, 
still  amazing  instances  of  the  foresight  and  insight 
of  God's  prophets  of  that  far-away  period.  For 
example:  Concerning  the  financial  gifts  of  the  He- 
brews there  can  be  no  question.  They  have  a  gift 
for  trading,  for  making  money,  for  thrifty  accumu- 
lation, which  puts  them  in  a  class  by  themselves. 
How  does  it  come  that  thousands  of  years  ago  it  was 
said  to  them: 

Deut.    8. 18  "It  is  [Jehovah]  that  giveth  thee  power  to  get  wealth.  .  .  . 

15.    6       Thou  shalt  lend  unto    many  nations,  but  thou  shalt  not 
borrow"? 

When  we  recall  the  fact  that  a  few  Hebrew  bankers 
in  this  country  and  in  Europe  have  for  generations 
financed  kingdoms  and  empires  in  critical  times  of 
war  and  peace,  these  few  words  assume  a  remarkable 
import. 

Take  one  other  fact — the  dispersal  of  the  Jews 
over  the  earth.  They  are  found,  and  have  been  for 
ages  found,  in  many  lands.  In  England,  in  Russia, 
and  elsewhere  they  have  been  subjected,  genera- 
tion after  generation,  to  oppression,  persecution, 
imprisonment,    and   martyrdom   in   almost   endless 


CREDENTIALS  191 

measure.  The  story  of  their  sufferings  is  the  great 
tragedy  of  history;  it  is  only  within  the  past  few  years 
that  their  condition  has  become  in  any  manner  toler- 
able, for  example,  in  Russia.  Now  turn  to  the  Book 
and  see  how  exactly  this  very  condition  was  foretold 
ages  ago: 

Jehovah  shall  scatter  thee  among  all  peoples,  from  the  Deut.  28.  04- 
one  end  of  the  earth  even  unto  the  other  end  of  the  earth.  .  .  .  60,  37 
And  among  these  nations  thou  shalt  find  no  ease,  and  there 
shall  be  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  thy  foot  .  .  .  and  thy  life 
shall  hang  in  doubt  before  thee.  .  .  .  And  thou  shalt  be- 
come an  astonishment,  a  proverb,  and  a  byword,  among  all 
the  peoples  whither  Jehovah  shall  lead  thee  away. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  sentences  of  retribution 
denounced  against  the  Hebrews  in  view  of  their  pros- 
pective disobedience.  The  chapter  which  contains 
these  utterances  is  full  of  other  sentences  of  doom, 
which  have  been  dreadfully  and  almost  literally 
fulfilled  in  the  history  of  the  people  of  Israel.  Their 
captivity  in  Assyria  and  Babylon,  and  their  return 
from  exile,  their  rehabilitation  in  their  own  country, 
and  the  new  glory  which  came  to  them  after  their  re- 
turn from  captivity — all  this  was  foretold  many  years 
in  advance  of  the  happening  of  the  events  themselves. 
The  question  inevitably  arises:  How  did  the  prophets 
know  all  these  things  in  advance,  unless,  as  they 
themselves  declared,  Jehovah  opened  their  eyes  and 
gave  them  the  power  to  see  the  things  which  were 
coming  to  pass? 

Page  after  page  of  citation  could  be  here  reprinted  Ty^2**-2'- 
showing  that  when  Tyre,  Babylon,  and  Nineveh  were  Babylon:  Isa. 
the  great  cities  of  the  ancient  world,  the  prophets  of  Jer.  51.1-64 


192  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Israel  and  of  Judah  foretold  their  overthrow,  indi- 
cated its  completeness,  and  put  into  the  picture  such 
touches  of  detail  and  such  minute  descriptions  of 
Nineveh:  Na-  what  was  in  store  for  these  centers  of  wickedness, 
hum,  passim  p^d^  anc[  earthly  grandeur  as  make  the  words  of  the 
prophets  to-day  seem  like  the  transcription  of  the 
record  of  a  traveler  who  has  recently  visited  the 
waste  and  desolate  places  where  once  these  vast 
capitals  stood. 

Further :  In  spite  of  the  changed  methods  of  inter- 
pretation in  vogue  to-day,  what  unbiased  mind  can 
read  the  fifty-third  of  Isaiah,  and  then  read  the  closing 
chapters  of  the  Gospels,  without  concluding  that  the 
prophet  had  in  advance  a  vision  of  the  sufferings 
and  glory  of  the  Messiah? 

Are  we  ready  to  conclude,  in  view  of  these  glimpses 
of  what  the  prophets  wrote,  ages  in  advance  of  the 
events  which  came  to  pass,  that  the  argument  from 
the  fulfillment  of  prophecy  is  obsolete? 

It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  chief  thing  in  the 
work  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets  was  not  their 
predictions.  They  were  witnesses  for  God  to  their 
own  times;  they  brought  from  Jehovah  advice, 
warnings,  instructions,  arguments,  light,  and  comfort 
fitted  to  the  needs  of  the  age  in  which  they  lived. 
It  was  only  occasionally  that  they  predicted  in  detail 
the  things  which  were  to  come. 

2.  Much  was  made  in  other  days  of  the  argument 
from  miracles,  and  in  this  instance  too  there  has  come 
to  be  a  change  of  stress.  But  little  is  made  to-day 
of  the  Old  Testament  miracles  as  arguments,  but  the 


CREDENTIALS  193 

wonderful  works  which  the  Master  did,  as  recorded 
in  the  Gospels,  were,  to  use  his  own  term,  "signs' '  of 
his  divine  authority,  his  heavenly  benevolence,  his 
superhuman  compassion.  He  appeals  to  his  miracles 
once  in  a  while  as  credentials  of  his  Messiahship,  as 
in  the  case  where  he  sent  the  disciples  of  John  the 
Baptist  back  to  their  teacher  with  the. direction. 

Go  your  way  and  tell  John  the  things  which  ye  do  hear   Matt.  11.  4,  5 
and  see:  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk, 
the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  and  the  dead  are 
raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them. 

More  than  once  he  declared,  "The  works  that  I  do  John  10.  25 
in  my  Father's  name,  these  bear  witness  of  me."  5-  36 

But  the  miracles  of  our  Lord  were  not  apparently  Matt  n '20-23 
intended  as  his  chief  credentials,  as  affording  the 
main  reason  for  accepting  him  as  the  Saviour.  His 
works  of  healing,  for  example,  had  more  than  an 
evidential  value;  they  were  signs  of  his  philanthropy; 
they  were  symbols  of  his  power  to  recover  the  soul 
from  its  maladies;  they  were  evidences  of  his  tender- 
ness and  gentleness  and  wisdom  as  the  great  Phy- 
sician. In  general  his  miracles  displayed  his  power 
over  disease,  over  death,  over  nature,  and  over  demons 
— a  fourfold  sign  of  his  superhuman  authority  and 
greatness. 

The  whole  discussion  as  to  miracles  in  the  case  of 
Christ  narrows  down  in  reason  to  the  single  fact  of 
his  resurrection  from  the  dead;  if  that  greatest  of  all 
marvels,  that  one  culminating  proof  of  his  divine 
character  and  authority,  be  accepted,  why  quibble 
as  to  the  others?    What  is  there  beyond  the  power 


194  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

of  One  who  can  raise  himself  from  the  tomb  after  he 
has  been  put  to  death  by  crucifixion? 

The  question  of  miracles  in  the  case  of  our 
Lord,  furthermore,  connects  itself  with  his  majestic 
and  unique  authority  and  character.  Mysterious, 
inexplicable,  and  apparently  "supernatural"  works 
wrought  by  an  ordinary  man  would  not  bring  with 
them  to  well-balanced  minds  any  assurance  of  a 
heavenly  embassy.  But  miracles  performed  by  one 
who  in  himself  is  the  Perfect  Man,  who  has  no  fault 
or  blemish,  who  stands  alone  in  the  perfections  of  his 
character  among  the  sons  of  men,  and  who  declares 
himself  to  be  supreme  in  authority  over  them — 
miracles  of  that  sort  are  so  interfibered  with  his  life 
as  to  be  inseparable.  When  he  says  to  the  storm, 
"Be  still";  and  to  Lazarus,  "Come  forth,"  and  to  the 
leper,  "I  will;  be  thou  clean,"  the  words  and  acts  are 
consonant  with  his  majesty  and  beauty  and  dignity 
and  masterfulness  as  the  Man  of  all  men — the  Perfect 
One — and  they  help  us  to  see  his  glory.  Miracles 
in  this  aspect  of  the  case  are  not  inexplicable.  They 
are  the  easy  and  natural  and  proper  outfruit  of  a 
life  and  character  in  which  perfection  abode. 

3.  The  moral  effects  of  the  Christian  religion  afford 
the  basis  for  one  of  the  most  convincing  arguments 
of  our  day.  Charles  L.  Brace's  book,  Gesta  Christi — 
devoted  to  the  story  of  the  work  incited  by  the  gospel 
for  the  poor,  the  infirm,  the  fallen,  the  outcast,  the 
diseased,  the  crippled,  and  the  forlorn,  the  work 
enshrined  in  hospitals  and  asylums  and  reforma- 
tories throughout  Christendom,  the  varied  work  of 


CREDENTIALS  195 

modern  philanthropy,  which  is  confessedly  based  on 
the  example  and  spirit  and  gospel  of  our  Lord — puts 
emphasis  on  this  phase  of  the  argument.  A  contrast 
drawn  between  the  present  heathen  world  and  Chris- 
tian nations  of  the  earth  in  this  regard  puts  addi- 
tional emphasis  on  it.  Dr.  Storrs's  great  work,  Page  186 
already  alluded  to,  illumines  with  research,  with 
comment,  with  exposition,  this  great  argument,  in 
which  he  shows  that  the  gospel  has  alleviated  human 
misery,  elevated  womanhood,  rescued  childhood, 
spread  educational  institutions  and  principles,  de- 
stroyed slavery,  fostered  civil  liberty,  ennobled  man- 
hood, and  enriched  the  whole  of  human  life.  This 
argument  has  in  recent  years — within  the  past  decade, 
indeed — received  additional  impetus  from  events  in 
the  Orient.  Japan  and  China,  in  their  quest  of  the 
sources  of  light,  of  enterprise,  of  material  progress, 
of  educational  science  and  success,  have  turned 
toward  the  Christian  nations.  They  recognize  the  fact 
that  there  has  been  a  vast  chasm  between  their  best 
types  of  political  life  and  their  highest  achievements, 
and  what  we  call  Western  science  and  civilization. 
Who  can  fail  to  find  just  here  a  new  proof  of  the 
superiority  of  Christ  and  the  gospel  as  over  against 
the  other  faiths  of  the  world  and  the  civilizations 
based  upon  them? 

4.  Discoveries  in  Asia  Minor  and  in  the  Orient  have 
served  in  many  cases  to  confirm  the  historic  record 
of  Scripture.  Excavations  at  Nineveh,  on  the  site 
of  ancient  Babylon,  in  Egypt,  throughout  Palestine 
and  Asia  Minor,  have  for  more  than  fifty  years  been 


196  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

carried  on  at  large  cost,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  great- 
est archaeologists  of  the  world,  who  have  deciphered 
old  inscriptions,  translated  the  lettering  on  tablets 
and  monuments  which  had  been  buried  for  three 
thousand  years  or  more,  identified  names  and  dates 
in  countless  instances,  and  almost  literally  re-created 
the  ancient  civilizations.  The  results  of  these  in- 
quiries and  discoveries  can  scarcely  be  hinted  at  here, 
but  it  may  be  said  that  no  discovery  has  been  made 
that  contradicts  the  narrative  of  events  in  the  Old 
Testament  at  any  point  where  the  events  coincide 
in  time  with  the  secular  record,  while  on  the  other 
hand  many  facts  have  been  clarified,  and  many 
places  have  been  identified  as  the  ones  mentioned  in 
the  Book. 

Perhaps  the  confirmatory  discoveries  made  with 
regard  to  the  travels  of  Saint  Paul,  as  related  in  the 
book  of  Acts,  and  as  referred  to  in  his  epistles,  may 
be  indicated  briefly  as  among  the  remarkable  things 
that  have  been  done  in  this  direction.  Surveys 
have  been  made,  for  example,  of  the  whole  of  Asia 
Minor,  so  far  as  the  story  touches  any  part  of  that 
vast  region;  the  journeys  of  Paul  have  been  followed 
up,  mile  after  mile ;  each  place  mentioned  in  the  story 
has  been  identified;  ruins  have  been  uncovered; 
distances  have  been  measured  or  reckoned;  the  nar- 
rative of  the  shipwreck  has  been  tested  by  the  meth- 
ods and  records  of  the  navigator;  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  has  been  retraversed,  and  its  depths  in  many 
places  have  been  sounded,  and,  almost  foot  by  foot, 
the  whole  record  of  Paul's  journeys  has  been  resus- 


CREDENTIALS  197 

citated,  in  order  to  determine  what  basis  might  be 
found  outside  of  Acts  for  the  truthfulness  of  the  nar- 
rative. Photographs  have  been  taken,  topographical 
sketches  and  new  surveys  have  been  made,  maps  have 
been  drawn,  engraved,  and  published;  and  it  is  now 
literally  true  that  the  record  of  travel  written  down 
concerning  Paul  as  undertaken  by  him  in  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  from  the  year  A.  D.  34 
to  the  year  A.  D.  68,  has  been  subjected  to  the  most 
rigid  scientific  scrutiny,  carried  on  for  more  than  half 
a  century,  with  the  result  that  the  highest  authori- 
ties in  the  world — typified,  for  instance,  by  Professor 
W.  M.  Ramsay,  who  has  devoted  years  of  study  to 
the  geography  of  Asia  Minor — declare  that  the  record 
is  true  and  that  no  discovery  has  been  made  which 
in  any  degree  mars  its  validity. 

5.  There  is,  however,  a  more  convincing,  practicable, 
and  satisfactory  method  of  identifying  the  Scriptures 
as  a  volume  with  an  authoritative  and  assuring  mes- 
sage for  the  human  heart  than  any  we  have  mentioned. 
This  Book  is  a  self- verifying  one ;  it  can  be  tested,  and 
verified,  and  approved  by  the  illiterate  and  the  child. 
We  do  not  need  to  be  masters  of  literature,  students 
of  archaeology,  acquainted  with  the  arguments  based 
on  prophecy  and  miracles,  and  "read  up"  in  the 
story  of  the  reforms  wrought  out  by  the  gospel 
in  various  ages,  in  order  to  be  convinced  that  the 
Book  is,  substantially  and  fundamentally,  God's 
message  to  the  world.  There  is  put  within  reach  of 
all  of  us  a  method  whereby  we  can  determine  for 
ourselves   whether   this   message   contained   in   the 


198  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Word  is  worthy  of  its  claims;  whether  the  gospel 
in  its  privileges  and  proffers  is  divine ;  whether  there 
is  help  in  the  Bible  for  the  crippled  nature  of  man, 
balm  for  the  conscience  and  strength  for  the  will. 
John  1.39, 46  Twice  in  the  early  part  of  the  fourth  Gospel  the 
invitation  is  spoken  to  inquirers,  "Come  and  see." 
Once  the  word  was  spoken  to  two  disciples  of  John 
the  Baptist,  who  had  followed  the  Master,  anxious 
to  know  something  more  about  him.  He  turned 
and  asked  what  they  sought,  and  when  they  told  him 
he  said,  "Come  and  see."  That  was  Christ's  welcome 
to  seeking  souls,  his  word  of  cheer  to  those  who 
desired  to  get  better  acquainted,  his  invitation  to 
those  who  sought  his  friendship,  instruction,  and 
guidance.  Next  day  the  same  expression  was  used 
by  Philip,  speaking  to  Nathanael,  who  had  expressed 
doubt  as  to  the  possibility  of  any  good  thing  coining 
out  of  Nazareth.  "Come  and  see,"  was  the  reply. 
That  is:  "If  you  have  any  question  with  reference  to 
this  man  whom  we  have  found,  and  who  is,  we  believe, 
the  Christ,  foretold  by  Moses  and  announced  in  the 
prophets;  if  you  would  be  satisfied,  as  we  are,  that 
this  is  the  One  who  was  to  come,  and  that  he  has 
come — then  'come  and  see'  for  yourself.  Question 
him,  study  him,  weigh  his  words,  examine  his  claims, 
test  his  power,  and  you  may  find  out  for  yourself, 
as  we  have  done,  that  this  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of 
the  world." 

The  same  method  is  available  to-day.  "Come  and 
see"  is  Christ's  answer  in  our  time  to  all  inquiring 
souls ;  it  is  the  answer  of  the  Church  to  those  who 


CREDENTIALS  199 

are  bewildered,  with  distracted  hearts  and  brains,  to 
those  who  have  sought  here  and  there  and  yonder 
for  light  and  help  and  have  at  last  ceased  to  inquire, 
having  sunken  into  the  apathy  of  despair.  To  them 
all  the  answer  of  the  Gospels  still  is:  "Come  and  see 
for  yourselves.  Try  this  Man  and  his  claims.  Sub- 
ject them  to  the  utmost  tests;  bring  yourself  to  him 
and  find  out  whether  he  can  heal  and  help." 

For  example :  The  Bible  promises  light  to  the  per-  Psa.  25. 9 
plexed:  "The  meek  will  he  guide  in  judgment,  and  ames  '° 
the  meek  will  he  teach  his  way.  ...  If  any  of  you 
lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God."  Let  the  anxious, 
distracted,  oppressed  soul  ask  for  light,  in  all  sincer- 
ity, as  a  child  asks  to  be  led  in  the  darkness,  reaching 
out  to  find  the  outstretched  hand  of  its  mother.  Is 
there  any  evidence  showing  that  a  soul  with  this 
disposition  of  docility  and  anxiety,  sincerely  desiring 
help,  was  ever  left  to  grope  in  darkness  and  un- 
certainty? 

The  Bible,  again,  promises  pardon  and  peace  to  the  Prov.  28. 13 
penitent  inquirer:  "Whoso  confesseth  and  forsaketh 
[his  transgressions]  shall  obtain  mercy.  ...  Ye  may 
know  that  the  Son  of  man  hath  power  on  earth  to 
forgive  sins."  Scores  of  such  assurances  are  found 
in  the  Book.  To  an  earnest  inquirer  we  may  say: 
"Test  one  of  these  promises  if  you  are  burdened  on 
account  of  unforgiven  sins.  Put  these  passages  to 
the  proof.  Bring  them  to  God  in  prayer,  in  the  name 
of  the  Redeemer.  Tell  your  Father  in  heaven  all 
about  your  secret  doubts,  your  misgivings,  your  men- 
tal uncertainty,  your  heartache,  your  sins.    Throw 


200  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

aside  for  the  moment  all  other  questions — about 
miracles,  or  the  difficulties  of  the  Old  Testament,  or 
the  number  of  the  sacraments,  or  the  mode  of  bap- 
tism, or  the  controversies  that  have  raged  on  sectarian 
questions.  Be  careful  for  one  thing  alone,  that  you 
are  willing  to  give  up  your  sins  and  to  accept  the 
light  and  help  which  are  promised.  No  other  matter 
at  this  juncture  is  of  importance.  Ask  for  pardon, 
plead  the  promise;  hold  fast  there.  Find  out  for 
yourself  if  this  one  fact  is  true,  really,  fundamentally, 
gloriously  true — that  God  will  pardon  the  penitent 
who  comes  to  him  in  sorrow,  with  sincere  desires  for 
help,  and  with  the  deep-seated  purpose  of  living 
henceforth  for  him.  'Come  and  see'  for  yourself 
whether  this  great  provision  of  mercy  has  in  it  the 
basis  of  absolute  truthfulness,  or  whether  it  is  a 
delusion!  You  need  not  take  anybody's  say-so; 
you  need  not  wait  to  be  satisfied  by  some  other 
man's  testimony.     Find  out  for  yourself!" 

The  gospel  offers  peace  and  soul-health  in  answer 
to  prayer.  That  does  not  mean  that  everything  we 
ask  for  is  to  be  granted;  or  that  God  is  going  to 
work  miraculous  pranks  to  satisfy  our  daily  whims. 
It  means  just  what  Paul  says: 

In  everything  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God.  And 
the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall 
guard  your  hearts  and  thoughts  in  Christ  Jesus. 

We  may  put  that  promise  to  the  test,  try  that  sort 
of  a  life,  make  full  proof  of  this  and  other  passages 
which  assure  peace  to  the  careworn  and  heavy-laden. 


CREDEx\TIALS  201 

The  Master  says,  "Obey,  and  know."  We  may  put 
his  claims  to  the  proof  and  find  out  by  actual  experi- 
ment what  there  is  in  this  assurance  which  he  makes. 
He  says,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  The  invita- 
tion is  so  widespread  as  to  include  everybody  who  is 
in  need  and  who  desires  deliverance  and  soul-rest. 
Throw  all  other  questions  and  perplexities  to  the  wind 
except  this  one  matter — the  claim  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
give  rest  and  peace  to  the  broken-hearted  and  bur- 
dened. The  world  is  challenged  to  test  that  one 
claim! 

For  ages  this  Book  has  been  thus  tested.  Great 
scholars,  and  illiterate  pagans;  dissipated  wretches  in 
the  slums  of  great  cities,  and  men  and  women  of  blame- 
less morals  but  carrying  a  stubborn  heartache  in  their 
breasts  because  of  secret  sins  and  because  of  unfulfilled 
ideals;  monarchs  on  mighty  thrones,  and  outcasts  in 
the  desert  at  the  limit  of  all  earthly  resources ;  women 
sick  with  mortal  diseases,  patients  about  to  undergo 
surgical  operations  on  which  life  hung  in  the  balances; 
men,  women,  and  children  in  sore  bereavement,  their 
hearts  breaking  with  a  fresh  sense  of  loss  and  sorrow 
— these  and  hosts  of  others,  burdened  and  smitten 
and  faint  with  all  sorts  of  griefs  and  transgressions 
and  responsibilities,  have  heard  the  invitations  of 
God's  Word,  have  halted,  hesitated,  questioned,  and 
delayed,  and  at  last  have  come,  with  all  their  wants 
and  wounds,  and  have  tried  for  themselves  the 
promises  just  quoted,  and  have  found  them  true. 
New  hope  has  lighted  up  their  paths;  a  conscious 


202  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

peace  has  been  experienced;  the  burdens  have  been 
lifted  and  lightened;  disabled  wills  have  been  strength- 
ened; corrupted  imaginations  have  been  purified; 
blinded  eyes  have  been  opened;  crippled  faculties  have 
been  healed;  the  sources  and  springs  of  character 
within  have  been  renewed  and  reconstructed;  and 
the  spirit  of  testimony  has  been  quickened,  so  that 
from  many  quarters,  and  from  all  sorts  and  condi- 
tions of  men  and  women,  the  word  has  gone  forth: 
"I  have  tested  this  Book  for  myself;  I  have  put  Jesus 
Christ  to  the  proof;  I  have  found  out  that  his  promises 
are  true;  that  he  is  a  help  in  trouble,  that  he  is  as 
good  as  his  word,  that  he  gives  soul-rest  to  those  who 
ask  for  it,  and  that  he  affords  peace  and  comfort  in 
time  of  trial  and  sorrow.  He  said  to  me,  'Come  and 
see.7  He  invited  me,  'Come  unto  me.'  I  came,  and 
found  rest,  and  peace,  and  help." 

The  offer  is  open  wherever  the  Bible  goes.  Test 
its  provisions  for  yourself.  Make  the  experiment. 
Put  the  promises  to  the  proof.  Find  out  for  your- 
self whether  or  not  the  Book  is  a  self-verifying  one 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  SUPREME  TEACHER 


203 


How  beautiful  appear  on  the  mountains 

The  feet  of  the  joyful  messenger;  of  him  that  announceth 
peace! 

Of  the  joyful  messenger  of  good  tidings;  of  him  that  an- 
nounceth salvation! 

Of  him  that  saith  unto  Sion,  thy  God  reigneth! 

All  thy  watchmen  lift  up  their  voice;  they  shout  together; 

For  face  to  face  shall  they  see,  when  Jehovah  returneth  to 
Sion. 

Burst  forth  into  joy,  shout  together,  ye  ruins  of  Jerusalem! 

For  Jehovah  hath  comforted  his  people;  he  hath  redeemed 
Israel. 

Jehovah  hath  made  bare  his  holy  arm,  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
nations; 

All  the  ends  of  the  earth  have  seen  the  salvation  of  our  God. 
— Isa.  52.  7-10.    (Bishop  Lowth's  translation.) 


Break  thou  the  bread  of  life, 

Dear  Lord,  to  me, 
As  thou  didst  break  the  loaves 

Beside  the  sea; 
Beyond  the  sacred  page 

I  seek  thee,  Lord; 
My  spirit  pants  for  thee, 

O  living  Word! 

Bless  thou  the  truth,  dear  Lord, 

To  me,  to  me, 
As   thou   didst   bless   the   bread 

By  Galilee; 
Then  shall  all  bondage  cease, 

All  fetters  fall; 
And  I  shall  find  my  peace, 

My  All-in-All. 

— Mary  Artemisia  Lathbury. 


204 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  SUPREME  TEACHER. 

Although  we  have  already  noted  many  engaging 
phases  of  the  Bible,  yet  we  have  not  yet  in  detail 
studied  its  chief  charm — that  to  which  all  other 
attractions  are  subservient,  and  for  which  they  exist 
— the  Wonderful  Life  depicted  in  the  four  Gospels. 
For  our  own  age  that  Life  remains  the  most  convinc- 
ing credential  and  the  crowning  proof  of  the  divine 
authority  and  heavenly  efficacy  of  the  Book.  To 
array  before  the  student  the  charms  of  the  Bible 
without  indicating  Jesus  Christ  as  the  foremost  of 
them  all  would  be  blindness  indeed. 

There  are  but  two  aspects  in  which  we  have  space 
in  this  volume  to  consider  the  claims  of  the  Master; 
to  one  of  these  attention  is  now  invited — the  attract- 
ive features  which  appear  in  the  ministry  of  our 
Lord  when  we  consider  him  as  the  Great  Teacher. 

While  his  utterances,  unique  in  method  and  style 
and  matchless  in  the  depth  and  scope  of  their  contents, 
speak  for  themselves,  yet  we  are  not  left  without  con- 
temporary testimony  concerning  the  impression  which 
his  words  immediately  produced  on  those  who  heard 
him.  Nicodemus  spoke  not  only  for  himself  but  for 
others  when  he  said  to  the  Lord,  "Thou  art  a  teacher  John  2.  2 
come  from  God."     When  on  a  certain  occasion  his 

205 


206  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

foes  sent  officers  to  watch  and  arrest  the  Master, 
they  were  overwhelmed  with  the  wisdom  and  power 
John  7. 46  of  the  Lord,  and  returned  to  report,  '  'Never  man 
Mark  12. 37  spake  like  this  man."  It  is  on  record  that  "the  com- 
mon people  heard  him  gladly,"  and  often  the  story 
tells  us  that  great  multitudes  followed  to  hear  his 
word.  In  view  of  the  testimony  thus  recorded,  and 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  has  been  recognized  as 
the  Master  Teacher — in  most  respects  without  a 
rival,  standing  alone  in  the  world — it  may  be  worth 
while  for  us  to  intimate  some  of  the  striking  features 
of  his  work  in  this  regard.  In  what  respects  does  the 
Galilean  Teacher  attract  and  reward  the  attention  of 
the  nations  and  of  the  centuries? 

1.  The  gospel  story  puts  stress  on  one  feature  of 
the  case :  The  Master  was  an  itinerant  teacher,  and 
his  utterances  were  largely  spoken  in  circumstances 
which  were  informal  and  unconventional.  The  im- 
mediate occasion  suggested  his  theme ;  the  surrounding 
landscape,  perhaps,  or  the  emergent  circumstances, 
or  an  inquiry  from  one  of  his  disciples,  or  an  objection 
from  the  multitude,  or  some  other  passing  incident, 
afforded  opportunity  for  the  delivery  or  for  the 
illustration  of  a  message.  And  yet  these  occasional 
words,  spoken  by  Him  at  the  seaside,  along  country 
roads,  by  the  well-curb,  in  the  sickroom,  walking 
through  the  wheatfields,  seated  on  a  commanding 
hilltop,  in  the  synagogue,  in  the  temple  in  Jerusalem, 
in  some  village  the  name  of  which  is  forgotten,  in  the 
quiet  of  the  home,  at  the  dinner  table,  in  a  boat  on 
the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  in  many  other  similar  situa- 


THE  SUPREME  TEACHER        207 

tions — these  words  thus  spoken,  while  meeting 
completely  the  immediate  needs  of  the  hour,  have 
possessed  the  secret  of  immortal  influence.  They 
have  instructed  the  centuries,  inspired  countless 
millions  with  a  desire  for  higher  things,  and  laid  the 
foundation  on  which  the  ages  have  builded  the  insti- 
tutions of  Christendom. 

This  phase  of  the  case  is  without  precedent  or 
imitation.  Other  teachers  have  had  their  lecture 
rooms,  their  "porches/'  and  other  resorts,  as  in 
Athens,  and  they  have  drawn  their  pupils  from  a 
wide  range  of  country;  but  this  Teacher  used  all 
out-of-doors  as  his  place  of  instruction.  Instead 
of  waiting  for  people  to  come  to  him,  he  hunted  them 
up;  he  followed  after  them,  sought  them  out,  studied 
their  daily  habits,  mingled  with  them  in  the  by-places, 
taught  in  their  streets,  stood  in  the  market  place, 
and  in  all  possible  ways  got  acquainted  with  folks. 
What  an  example  he  sets  in  this  regard  to  those  who 
would  become  "fishers  of  men"! 

2.  The  quiet,  conversational  method  of  the  Master 
is  also  at  once  in  evidence  as  we  study  the  Gospels. 
He  never  seems  to  have  entered  the  realm  of  heated, 
feverish,  agitated  discussion;  rarely  spoke  as  an 
impassioned  orator;  and  except  in  the  temple,  and 
occasionally  in  the  synagogue,  revealed  no  formality 
or  ceremony,  apart  from  that  which  was  his  by  reason 
of  his  personal  dignity,  the  authority  with  which 
he  spoke  as  the  Teacher  and  the  Master  of  men. 

3.  There  were  paradoxical  phases  to  his  instructions. 
He  was  now  tender  and  gracious  and  compassionate, 


208  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

and  anon  severe  and  denunciatory;  he  threatened 
and  exposed  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  yet  spoke 
with  such  winning  tenderness  that  little  children 
came  and  nestled  in  his  arms.  He  could  mingle  in 
his  utterance  a  simplicity  which  attracted  the  com- 
mon people,  and  which  remains  yet  one  of  the  charms 
of  the  gospel,  and  yet  along  with  it  a  profoundness 
and  a  subtlety  and  a  depth  not  yet  fathomed  by 
any  human  mind.  In  the  prodigal  son,  for  instance, 
these  two  qualities  are  united.  Here  is  a  story  which 
a  child  can  apprehend;  it  fixes  itself  in  the  memory 
with  one  reading;  it  is  so  picturesque  that  each  phase 
of  the  parable  is  seen  with  startling  distinctness, 
with  the  imagination  all  alive,  as  if  it  were  a  drama 
being  enacted  before  the  eye.  And  yet  who  has  let 
his  plummet  line  down  into  the  depths  of  that  story? 
What  commentator,  after  long  study,  endowed  with 
highest  insight  and  scholarship  and  ability,  has  ever 
been  able  to  say,  "I  know  this  production  now;  I 
have  sounded  all  its  depths,  and  explored  its  utmost 
meaning,  and  construed  all  its  wisdom,  and  mastered 
its  fullness  of  instruction"? 

4.  Closely  allied  with  this  suggestion  is  another: 
the  teachings  of  the  Master  are  unsystematic.  He 
took  no  theme  for  complete  development  on  any  one 
occasion.  The  one  elaborate  discourse  which  we 
have  on  record,  the  so-called  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
covers  more  than  one  topic,  although  it  is  coherent, 
and  may  be  unified  under  a  single  heading,  perhaps. 
But  if  we  compare  his  method  of  instruction  with 
what  we  find  in  books  of  theology,  in  catechisms,  in 


THE  SUPREME  TEACHER        209 

works  on  moral  science,  in  creeds,  we  see  at  once  an 
amazing  difference.  To  the  Master's  mind  the  needs 
of  the  immediate  individual  soul,  or  the  people  then 
present,  were  the  chief  thing.  He  had  an  eye  for 
the  claims  of  the  soul,  rather  than  for  the  claims  of 
the  sermon,  and  dealt  with  men  directly,  according 
to  the  exigencies  of  the  moment. 

5.  Another  fact  is  to  be  noted:  his  teachings  were 
all  spoken  utterances.  He  wrote  nothing,  and  ap- 
pears to  have  had  but  little  care,  at  least  took  no 
apparent  pains,  to  have  his  words  written  down. 
He  promised  his  disciples  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would 
remind  them,  later,  of  what  he  had  said,  but  at  the 
time  he  was  seemingly  as  prodigal  of  speech,  as  care- 
less of  the  future  of  his  words,  as  nature  is  in  regard 
to  the  seeds  that  are  scattered  on  the  wind.  Millions 
of  seeds  and  seed  spores  are  thrown  out  from  tree  and 
bush  and  vine,  to  be  wafted  far  and  wide,  to  fall  here, 
there,  or  yonder,  in  the  water,  or  in  the  garden, 
among  the  rocks,  in  the  hills,  apparently  wasted. 
So,  in  seeming,  the  Master,  writing  down  not  a  single 
word,  systematizing  no  doctrines  into  shape  for  his 
disciples,  formulating  no  book,  scattered  his  words 
on  the  wind,  and  left  them  to  take  root  where  they 
would.  His  confidence  in  the  efficacy  and  immor- 
tality of  the  truth  in  this  regard  was  wonderful.  He 
believed  that  the  Father  would  give  the  increase, 
that  he  would  care  for  the  precious  word  thus  spoken 
almost  at  random  from  day  to  day. 

Suppose  to-day  that  a  man  should  arise  with  some- 
thing like  the  insight,  the  wisdom,  the  questioning 


210  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

faculty,  the  picturesqueness  of  speech,  the  conversa- 
tional aptitudes,  the  moral  power,  the  compassion, 
the  mingled  severity  and  tenderness  which  our  Lord 
displayed  in  his  addresses  and  in  his  teachings, 
sometimes  for  an  individual  soul.  How  careful 
would  the  world  be  to  report  his  sayings,  to  follow 
him  up,  to  save  every  syllable  from  oblivion,  to  write 
down  by  stenographic  help  each  address  delivered, 
and  each  word  of  such  an  instructor  dropped  on  the 
street,  or  at  table,  or  in  the  quiet  of  the  home!  In 
the  case  of  the  Master  his  disciples  recalled  many  of 
his  words,  and  the  people  must  have  had  in  remem- 
brance many  others.  But  it  is  evident  that  we  have 
only  a  small  part  of  what  he  actually  did  say  in  his 
public  ministrations.  Many  discourses  were  spoken 
and  forgotten;  many  parables,  besides  those  in  the 
Gospels,  were  uttered,  and  lost.  How  rich  we  should 
be  if  by  any  process  of  resuscitation  the  lost  words 
of  Jesus  could  be  reproduced!  And  how  majestic 
are  his  claims,  when  we  reflect  on  the  occasional 
phases  of  his  teaching — "Heaven  and  earth  shall 
pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away.  .  .  . 
This  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  the 
whole  world  for  a  testimony  unto  all  the  nations." 
6.  The  absolutely  self-confident  certainty  of  tone 
in  our  Lord's  teachings  commands  attention.  He 
spoke  as  one  who  knew  all  things.  In  one  single 
respect  he  avows  himself  ignorant — concerning  the 
time  of  his  coming  again;  but  in  no  other  regard 
did  he  ever  exhibit  anything  like  hesitation.  This  is 
all  the  more  remarkable  when  we  consider  the  scope 


THE  SUPREME  TEACHER        211 

of  his  teachings.  He  had  to  deal  with  the  funda- 
mental problems,  the  questions  which  have  baffled 
the  greatest  minds,  the  character  of  God,  his  re- 
lations with  men,  the  nature  of  prayer,  the  duty 
of  man  to  his  brother,  the  Sabbath  day,  the  slavery 
of  sin,  the  guilt  of  man,  the  future  of  the  soul,  the 
problem  of  immortality,  retribution,  here  and  here- 
after, the  connection  of  this  life  with  that  which  may 
follow,  the  cultivation  of  character,  the  right  ideal 
of  manhood,  the  awfulness  of  death,  and  other  such 
like  themes  of  human  inquiry.  Ask  the  wisest  man 
on  earth  with  regard  to  many  of  these  questions, 
and  he  will  halt  and  question,  baffled  and  in  dismay. 
Yet  Jesus  Christ,  offhand,  without  hesitation,  never 
stopping  to  say,  what  every  other  teacher  has  had 
to  say  a  thousand  times,  "I  do  not  know,"  dealt 
with  these  great  critical,  vital,  complex  questions, 
day  by  day,  in  public  and  in  private,  on  the  street  and 
in  the  synagogue,  without  making  a  mistake,  with- 
out ever  uttering  an  inadvertent  word,  without  for 
one  moment  showing  a  sign  of  uncertainty!  And 
to-day  if  we  need  knowledge  on  any  of  these  topics, 
if  we  want  to  find  out  the  very  last  word  that  can 
be  said  in  respect  to  many  of  these  issues,  whither 
can  we  go  but  to  Jesus  Christ?  His  words  are  our 
last  and  our  only  resource  in  hours  of  inquiry,  doubt, 
and  perplexity.  This  man,  whose  nature  we  cannot 
probe,  the  workings  of  whose  consciousness  no  man 
can  unfold,  spoke  as  one  who  had  command  of  in- 
finite resources,  who  owned  time  and  eternity,  who  had 
insight  into  the  nature  of  both  God  and  man,  who 


212  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

could  not  be  baffled  or  halted  in  his  command  of  the 
truth,  who  knew  all  things  that  need  to  be  known 
concerning  the  duty  and  destiny  of  the  human  race 
and  the  relationship  of  that  race  to  sin,  death,  God, 
heaven  and  hell.  If  in  this  respect  there  is  any 
parallel  to  the  Great  Teacher,  we  know  not  where  to 
look  for  him. 

The  difference  between  Socrates,  for  example,  and 
Jesus  Christ  in  respect  of  this  phase  of  teaching  is 
remarkable.  The  Greek  sage  did  not  claim  to  know; 
he  confessed  that  he  was  ignorant  of  many  things, 
and  his  aim  in  his  socratic  methods  of  inquiry  and 
probing  was  to  show  other  people  how  ignorant  they 
also  were,  to  rebuke  half-knowledge,  to  expose  empty 
pretenders,  and  to  bring  people  to  the  place  where 
in  humble  candor  they  would  recognize  their  igno- 
rance. Jesus  Christ,  however,  in  his  manner  and  atti- 
tude assumed  to  be  master  of  all  wisdom;  he  spoke 
as  if  he  knew  all  things.  Who  ever  assumed  that 
attitude  before  without  being  exposed  as  a  charlatan? 
Let  any  man  to-day  issue  the  challenge  of  assumed 
omniscience,  and  how  soon  he  will  be  put  to  scorn! 

7.  The  policy  of  caution  and  reticence  which  Jesus 
pursued  in  his  teaching  illustrates  his  wisdom.  Sel- 
dom did  he  make  any  direct  claim  that  he  was  the 
Messiah.  Only  to  the  woman  of  Sychar,  to  Peter  at 
Csesarea  Philippi  after  that  apostle's  great  confession, 
to  the  healed  blind  man  in  the  temple,  and  to  the 
Sanhedrin,  in  an  hour  when  the  assertion  cost  him 
his  life,  he  said,  "I  am  the  Son  of  God,"  meaning 
by  that  to  claim  a  superhuman,  unique,  and  divine 


THE  SUPREME  TEACHER        213 

relationship  to  the  Father.  He  did  the  works  which 
the  Redeemer  was  expected  to  do;  he  spoke  words 
which  only  he  could  speak,  he  exhibited  a  character 
so  symmetrical,  so  perfect,  so  complete  that  from 
day  to  day  the  question  was  asked,  Whence  hath 
this  man  this  wisdom?  Who  is  this  Son  of  man? 
What  manner  of  man  is  this?  Then,  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death  on  the  cross,  he  allowed  men  to  make 
up  their  minds  for  themselves  how  to  answer  the 
question,  Who  is  the  Son  of  man? 

As  to  his  atonement,  he  was  also  reticent,  and 
wisely  so.  Those  who  find  fault  with  that  doctrine 
as  coining  from  Paul  and  not  from  Christ,  and  who 
quibble  about  it  to  the  effect  that  the  Master  did  not 
teach  it,  forget  that  it  was  not  possible  for  him  to 
wisely  or  properly  declare  in  its  completeness  a  doc- 
trine which  was  not  yet  wrought  out.  Until  the 
work  was  done,  how  could  it  be  fully  proclaimed? 
He  intimated  again  and  again  that  he  had  to  die, 
that  he  had  come  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many, 
but  he  could  not  in  reason  go  farther  than  this  tenta- 
tive and  preliminary  step  until  he  had  actually 
suffered,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  for  the  sins  of  the 
world.    Then  he  could  wisely  tell  his  disciples: 

Thus  it  is  written,  that  the  Christ  should  suffer,  and  rise   Luke  24. 46, 47 
again  from  the  dead  the  third  day ;  and  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in   his  name  unto  all 
the  nations,  beginning  from  Jerusalem. 

8.  The  interrogative  methods  of  Christ  have  already 
been  noted  (see  Chapter  V).  His  use  of  questions 
is  without  a  parallel.     He  knew  how  to  put  a  probe 


214  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

down  deep  into  the  heart,  how  to  induce  a  spirit  of 
shame  and  remorse,  how  to  awaken  inquiry,  how  to 
prompt  and  encourage  the  quest  of  truth,  all  by  a 
question. 

9.  The  picturesque  methods  of  Christ  were  unique. 
His  employment  of  parables  and  various  sorts  of 
illustrations  make  his  gospel  teachings  affluent  and 
beautiful  -beyond  precedent.  To  mingle  rhetorical 
beauty  with  the  deepest  moral  truth,  to  make  an 
utterance  at  once  extraordinary  for  its  verbal  grace 
and  splendor,  and  at  the  same  time  immortal  for  its 
penetrating  power  and  spiritual  life,  was  what  he  did 
every  day.  He  might  have  put  his  truths  into 
prosaic,  plain-spoken  form:  would  they  have  been 
recalled,  and  remembered?  But  he  makes  the  birds, 
and  the  lilies,  and  the  grass,  and  the  clouds,  and  the 
red  and  lowering  sky,  and  the  sower,  and  the  children 
playing  in  the  streets,  and  the  woman  mixing  a 
batch  of  dough  or  sweeping  the  house,  and  the  mus- 
tard tree,  and  the  net,  and  the  fisherman,  and  the 
pearl,  and  the  hid  treasure,  and  the  tares  and  the 
wheat,  and  scores  of  other  familiar  facts  the  instru- 
ments for  illumining  his  truth.  He  binds  his  mes- 
sages to  these,  and  whithersoever  they  fly  his  pre- 
cious words  go  along.  Truth  which  catches  the 
eye,  startles  the  fancy,  transfixes  attention,  captivates 
the  imagination,  fixes  itself  in  the  memory,  germinates 
with  singular  fecundity,  enriches  the  soil,  and  brings 
forth  abundant  fruit — that  is  the  truth  which  Jesus 
Christ  spoke  from  time  to  time  in  his  parables  and 
other  figurative  methods  of  speech.    One  knows  not 


THE  SUPREME  TEACHER  215 

which  to  wonder  at  the  most — their  radiant  and 
unfading  beauty,  or  their  matchless  moral  force  and 
searching  power. 

10.  The  familiarity  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures  and  his  extraordinary  use  of 
them  in  teaching  form  another  feature  in  his  work. 
It  would  require  a  volume  to  do  justice  to  the  theme. 
He  seems  to  have  the  whole  Old  Testament  at  imme- 
diate command,  not  as  though  he  had  merely  com- 
mitted it  to  memory,  but  as  though  its  facts,  and 
characters,  and  truths  were  written  in  spirit  and 
substance  in  his  deepest  heart.  When  he  touches 
any  Old  Testament  passage  he  makes  it  blaze  with 
new  light;  and  in  addition  he  shows  implicit  confidence 
in  its  truthfulness,  deals  with  it  as  though  he  accepted 
it,  and  thus  commends  it  to  us.  One  great  argument 
for  that  part  of  the  Bible  is  founded  on  the  way  in 
which  our  Lord  dealt  with  it,  and  used  it,  and  handed 
it  over  to  his  disciples,  underwritten  by  himself. 

11.  A  final  element  in  his  work  as  a  teacher  to  be 
mentioned  is  his  straightforward  aim,  at  the  heart, 
conscience,  judgment,  soul.  He  spoke  not  to  enter- 
tain, to  play  with  a  great  theme  as  with  a  toy,  not 
self-consciously,  not  dramatically  or  oratorically — 
but  as  a  man,  speaking  from  on  high,  charged  with 
supreme  responsibility,  and  aiming  to  guide,  awaken, 
warn,  comfort,  save. 

Were  there  no  other  revelation  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment beyond  that  of  the  matchless  qualities  and 
peerless  methods  of  the  Great  Teacher,  it  would  still 
be  one  of  the  most  attractive  books  in  the  world! 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT 


217 


He  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn  of  all 
creation;  for  in  him  were  all  things  created,  in  the  heavens 
and  upon  the  earth,  things  visible  and  things  invisible, 
whether  thrones  or  dominions  or  principalities  or  powers; 
all  things  have  been  created  through  him,  and  unto  him; 
and  he  is  before  all  things,  and  in  him  all  things  consist. 
And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church:  who  is  the  be- 
ginning, the  firstborn  from  the  dead;  that  in  all  things  he 
might  have  the  preeminence.  For  it  was  the  good  pleasure 
of  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  the  fullness  dwell. 

—Col.  1.  15-19. 


Looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and  perfecter  of  our  faith, 
who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  endured  the  cross, 
despising  shame,  and  hath  sat  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
throne  of  God.  For  consider  him  that  hath  endured  such 
gainsaying  of  sinners  against  themselves,  that  ye  wax  not 
weary,  fainting  in  your  souls. 

— Heb.  12.  2,  3. 

Laden  with  guilt,  and  full  of  fears, 

I  fly  to  thee,  my  Lord, 
And  not  a  glimpse  of  hope  appears, 

But  in  thy  written  Word. 

This  volume  of  my  Father's  grace 

Does  all  my  grief  assuage; 
Here  I  behold  my  Saviour's  face 

Almost  on  every  page. 

This  is  the  field  where  hidden  lies 

The  pearl  of  price  unknown; 
That  merchant  is  divinely  wise 

Who  makes  the  pearl  his  own. 

— Isaac  Watts. 


218 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT 

It  has  already  been  indicated  in  the  foregoing 
pages  that  the  supreme  charm  of  the  Book  is  the 
portraiture  of  the  Perfect  Life  given  in  the  Gospels. 
Here  we  have  the  man  Christ  Jesus  set  forth  in  the 
scenes  of  his  earthly  ministry,  a  servant  and  yet  a 
King;  a  peasant  and  a  toiler  and  yet  our  Master  and 
Lord;  fairer  than  the  children  of  men  and  altogether 
lovely.  This  fourfold  portrait  which  is  afforded  by 
the  evangelists  is  the  coronal  attraction  and  credential 
of  the  Book,  and  it  stands  by  itself  in  literature  as  an 
unparalleled  representation  of  complete  and  blame- 
less Manhood,  the  only  embodiment  of  a  Perfect 
Character  to  be  found  in  the  world.  In  our  journey 
through  the  mountain  ranges  of  Scripture  we  have 
glimpsed  some  noble  peaks;  this  one,  on  which  is 
pinnacled  in  unapproachable  majesty  the  shining 
figure  of  the  Perfect  Man,  outtops,  outshines  them  all. 

And  this  gospel  portrait  is  not  only  of  surpassing 
beauty,  but  it  involves  the  argument  which  for  this 
age  at  least  has  proved  the  most  convincing  and 
immovable  with  regard  to  the  validity  and  authority 
of  the  gospel  which  Jesus  Christ  proclaimed,  and 
which  we  have  in  fourfold  form  in  the  New  Testament. 
Given,  this  Perfect  Man,  recognized  as  the  supreme 
teacher  of  morals  and  religion ;  and  his  claims,  spoken 

219 


220  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

by  his  own  lips,  declaring  with  all  solemnity  and 
clearness  what  manner  of  man  he  conceived  himself 
to  be,  and  for  what  purpose  he  had  come:  in  face  of 
that  problem,  of  that  combination  of  facts,  we  leave 
behind  us  all  questions  of  prophecies,  of  miracles, 
of  apostolic  testimony,  of  early  creeds,  of  churchly 
authority,  and  in  his  presence  and  in  view  of  his 
wisdom,  equipoise,  manhood,  and  majesty,  submit 
the  case  for  decision  at  the  bar  of  the  world's  best 
reason.  If  this  Perfect  Man,  this  Supreme  Teacher, 
claims  for  himself  in  language  which  cannot  be  mis- 
construed, again  and  again,  an  authority,  a  relation- 
ship both  to  the  Father  in  heaven  and  to  men  on 
earth,  a  power  and  a  personality  which  are,  to  say 
the  least,  superhuman,  which  pedestal  him  on  the 
throne  of  universal  empire,  which  require  from  the 
human  race  homage,  obedience,  love,  and  implicit 
loyalty,  what  rational  solution  of  the  problem  is 
possible  except  that  one  which  acknowledges  the 
truth  of  his  claims,  the  sanity  of  his  assumptions, 
and  the  rightfulness  of  his  sway  as  Lord  of  lords  and 
King  of  kings? 

THE  QUADRUPLEX  GOSPEL 

The  advantages  furnished  by  the  fourfold  picture 
of  the  Master  are  evident  upon  inquiry.  The  first 
Gospel  lays  emphasis  on  the  prophetic  traits  in  the 
portrait,  citing  passage  after  passage  from  the  Old 
Testament  in  the  phraseology,  "that  it  might  be 
fulfilled  which  was  spoken  through  Isaiah, "  or  some 
other  bard  of  the  ancient  time.    Here  we  also  have 


THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT  221 

the  discourses  of  our  Lord  massed  together,  and  a 
cluster  of  parables  spoken  in  or  near  Capernaum, 
together  with  material  used  by  the  Master  in  Jeru- 
salem during  the  last  week  of  his  stay  on  earth.  This 
Gospel  has  been  aptly  styled  the  Gospel  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven. 

The  second  Gospel,  by  Mark,  is  the  shortest,  most 
direct  and  compact,  and  sometimes  the  most  graphic 
of  the  four.  The  term  "immediately" — or,  as  it  is 
rendered  in  the  Revised  Version,  "straightway," 
used  eleven  times  in  the  opening  chapter — betokens 
the  character  of  this  narrative,  which  pursues  a 
straight  course,  with  no  deviations  or  diversions* 
summing  up  the  temptation,  for  example,  into  two 
verses  and  leaving  out  all  references  to  the  birth,  and 
childhood,  and  life  at  Nazareth.  Christ  the  mighty 
One,  the  Master  of  all  forces,  and  the  Lord  of  men 
and  angels,  is  herein  portrayed. 

The  third  Gospel,  clearly  written  by  Saint  Luke, 
is  the  longest,  the  most  systematic,  and  the  most 
complete  of  the  four,  putting  stress  upon  the  deeds  and 
utterances  which  indicate  Christ's  sympathy  with 
the  Gentile  world,  and  with  the  sorrows  of  common 
folk.  A  large  amount  of  material — the  first  two 
chapters,  with  chapters  ten  to  seventeen  complete, 
and  other  portions — belong  to  this  Gospel  alone.  It 
is  the  Gospel  which  tells  us  most  aptly  of  the  Son 
of  man. 

The  fourth  Gospel,  over  which  the  centuries  have 
been  quibbling,  is  such  an  original,  profound,  extraor- 
dinary work  that  one  may  conclude,  offhand,  that 


222  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

it  must  have  come  from  one  who  knew,  intimately 
and  cordially,  the  Lord  Jesus.  It  gives  a  represen- 
tation of  his  inner  life,  the  divine  side  of  his  charac- 
ter and  ministry,  uses  terms — such  as  Word,  Life, 
Light,  Good  Shepherd — nowhere  else  found  in  the 
Bible,  except  in  certain  other  productions  assigned  by 
tradition  to  Saint  John,  and  is  filled  from  beginning 
to  end  with  material  peculiar  to  this  Gospel. 

Thus  we  have  a  view  of  Christ  given  from  four 
standpoints,  a  study  of  his  life  and  work  written 
by  four  men,  each  possessing  his  own  endowments, 
his  own  angle  of  vision,  and  his  own  gifts  for  such  a 
work.  A  life  so  rich,  so  many-sided,  so  fruitful,  so 
heavenly  as  was  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ,  could  not 
have  been  fully  pictured  by  any  one  evangelist. 

We  have  in  our  time  advantages  for  the  study 
and  apprehension  of  the  surroundings  of  our  Lord's 
earthly  career  such  as  no  former  generation  possessed. 
Up  to  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  there  was  not 
a  life  of  Christ  in  existence  except  one,  of  mediaeval 
and  mystical  tone;  all  the  "Lives"  now  before  the 
public — and  there  are  some  of  extraordinary  value — 
have  been  written  within  the  past  seventy-five  years, 
the  leading  ones  within  the  past  thirty  or  forty 
years.  His  human  career  has  been  studied  and  por- 
trayed from  different  standpoints  by  some  of  the 
great  scholars  of  the  world,  in  Germany,  in  England, 
and  in  this  country.  The  local  coloring  in  Bethlehem, 
Jerusalem,  and  Nazareth;  the  landscape,  the  scenery, 
the  work  of  the  synagogue,  family  life  in  that  age, 
social  customs  of  the  time,  have  all  been  reproduced 


THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT  223 

with  singular  vividness.  No  other  career  was  ever 
studied  with  the  minute,  painstaking  research  which 
has  flooded  the  age  and  land  in  which  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth lived.  Men  have  spent  months  in  Palestine  for 
the  one  purpose  of  studying  the  topography  and 
localities  in  the  midst  of  which  the  earthly  life  of  our 
Lord  was  passed,  so  that  they  might  vivify  the  nar- 
rative of  his  career  which  they  had  planned  to  write. 
All  possible  sources  of  human  knowledge  have  been 
explored  in  order  to  reproduce  that  career  in  print. 
Thousands  of  photographs  have  been  made  whereby 
to  place  before  the  eye  the  sites  of  places  connected 
with  the  scenes  of  his  ministry,  and  notable  artists, 
such  as  Tissot  and  Hofmann,  have  devoted  their 
lives  to  the  task  of  setting  forth  upon  canvas  the  inci- 
dents of  that  Perfect  Life,  from  the  annunciation 
to  the  Virgin  Mary,  through  all  its  diversified  course 
down  to  the  hour  when  he  ascended  from  Mount 
Olivet.  It  follows  that  we  have  at  command  means 
for  seeing,  apprehending,  and  appreciating  the  hu- 
manity of  our  Lord  such  as  were  never  before  pos- 
sessed by  mankind  until  our  own  day.  The  portrait 
of  the  Perfect  Man  is  set  before  this  age  with  a  clear- 
ness, a  beauty,  and  a  majesty  never  before  achieved. 
This  exhibition  of  his  unique  personality  is  one  of  his 
most  precious  bequests  to  the  world,  and,  like  the 
sun  in  the  midst  of  the  solar  system,  this  picture  of 
the  Man  irradiates  Christendom. 

This  matchless  portrait,  first  found  in  the  Gospels, 
and  in  the  impression  which  the  Master  made  upon 
his  own  generation,  and   then  gradually  developed 


224  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

from  age  to  age  by  the  work  of  successive  generations 
until  in  its  fullness  and  glory  it  shines  before  us 
to-day,  is  one  of  the  chief  agencies  by  which  a  leading 
aim  of  the  gospel  is  being  accomplished — namely, 
the  introduction  upon  earth  of  a  new  character. 

Who  knew  what  possibilities  are  lodged  in  a  human 
soul — what  capacities  for  growth,  for  courage,  for 
patience,  for  compassion,  are  stored  up  in  manhood — 
until  Jesus  Christ  came  to  embody  them  in  his  own 
blameless  and  perfect  life?  The  type  of  character 
which  he  exemplified  had  been  beyond  the  utmost 
flight  of  the  poet's  dream,  and  the  prophet's  vision, 
until  it  was  shown  forth  by  the  carpenter's  son  in 
Nazareth  and  the  Son  of  man  in  his  ministry. 

Matt.  8.  20  That  term,  "the  Son  of  man,"  Jesus  assumed  as  his 

20.  28      cnjef  {.j^le.     When  he  spoke  of  himself  it  was  always 

Matt  25  31  on  n^s  ^Ps-  Whether  he  spoke  of  himself  as  one  who 
had  no  place  to  lay  his  head,  or  as  one  who  was  to 
give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many;  whether  he  foresaw 
and  foretold  his  humiliation  or  his  exaltation,  his 
sufferings  or  his  final  reign,  his  almost  invariable 
title,  as  used  by  himself,  was  this  term,  "the  Son  of 
man."  The  title  is  full  of  meaning.  It  will  stand 
the  test  of  long  and  careful  study.  The  Master  in 
his  employment  of  this  title  indicates  in  the  word 
"man" — which  in  the  Greek  is  not  the  term  signifying 
an  individual,  but  the  generic  word,  corresponding 
to  our  term  "man,"  as  meaning  the  race,  mankind, 
humanity — the  idea  that  he  is  the  Son  of  the  human 
race,  the  efflorescent  embodiment  of  all  that  is  noble 
and  glorious  in  humanity,  the  ideal  man.    In  this 


THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT  225 

term  also  is  involved  of  course  the  notion  of  his 
actual  manhood;  Jesus  was  no  phantasmal,  spectral, 
half-human  figure,  but  a  man,  "born  of  a  woman,  Gal.  4. 4 
born  under  the  law/'  subject  to  the  limitations  and 
burdens  of  ordinary  life,  and  bearing  the  sorrows 
and  toils  of  a  common  humanity. 

The  name  likewise  suggests  the  brotherliness  of 
his  nature,  the  compassion  which  marked  his  acts 
and  which  throbbed  in  his  breast,  the  sympathy  with 
low-down  folk  and  little  children  which  was  so  often 
shown  in  his  attitude  and  words  and  miracles. 

There  was,  moreover,  a  divine  element  even  in 
this  title  which  more  than  any  other  allied  him  with 
our  race,  for  he  used  this  term,  "the  Son  of  man,"  Matt.  25.  31 
when  he  made  his  loftiest  claims,  as,  for  example, 
when  he  told  his  disciples  that  the  hour  would  come 
when  he  would  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory  to 
judge  all  the  nations.  With  this  title  on  his  lips 
he  arrogates  to  himself  supreme  authority. 

The  manifold  characteristics  of  this  Son  of  man  are 
so  harmoniously  wrought  into  perfect  unity;  his  life 
is  so  symmetrical,  so  balanced  in  moral  equipoise, 
so  luminous  throughout,  as  to  make  it  difficult  of 
analysis  or  description.  In  that  life  were  blended 
components  never  until  the  time  of  the  Incarnation 
brought  into  human  embodiment  before.  The  world 
was  not  lacking  in  representations  of  a  single  great 
virtue.  Men  were  found  in  every  land  who  stood 
out  from  their  fellows  by  means  of  some  one  conspicu- 
ous grace,  some  single  endowment  which  lifted  them 
above  the  ordinary  ranks  of  humanity.    In  him  all 


226  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

these  graces  and  virtues  are  blended  and  harmonized 
so  as  to  make  a  pattern  man,  a  perfect  human  life, 
unexampled  elsewhere.  Some  of  the  virtues  which 
he  embodied  had  hardly  ever  been  seen  or  under- 
stood until  he  taught  and  lived  them — such  as  hu- 
mility, meekness,  forgiving  love,  and  compassion. 
Glimpses  of  these  graces  had  been  seen  now  and  then 
in  Israel,  and  even  among  other  nations;  but  they 
had  never  been  seen  combined  with  the  other  qualities 
which  he  possessed.  In  him  alone  among  all  the 
children  of  men  we  see  military  leadership,  world- 
wide enterprise,  supreme  wisdom,  teaching  tact,  sym- 
pathy with  childhood  and  womanhood,  courage  of  the 
highest  type,  fortitude  of  an  exemplary  order — the 
consideration  of  which  has  supported  timid  women 
in  view  of  the  tortures  of  martyrdom — a  majesty 
before  which  kings  have  bowed  in  humble  homage 
and  adoration,  a  dignity  which  is  superhuman,  along 
with  a  kindly,  considerate,  human  touch  and  temper 
which  ally  him  with  the  lowest  mortal  on  the  earth, 
and  with  the  humblest  child;  an  authority  which 
arrogates  to  itself  command  over  the  forces  and 
inhabitants  of  both  time  and  eternity,  and  a  friendli- 
ness which  binds  him  to  publicans  and  sinners — 
all  these  strangely  blended  into  one  perfect  life,  into 
the  peerless  portrait  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus! 

This  new  character,  found  in  its  first  representa- 
tions in  the  gospel,  and  in  due  time  developed  in 
human  life,  and  in  the  unfoldings  of  grace  through 
the  ages,  has  now  become  familiar  to  men  wherever 
the  Bible  has  gone.    It  is  the  crowning  beauty  of 


THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT  227 

that  Book,  and  its  invincible  credential.  Increasing 
in  vividness  and  beauty,  becoming  more  distinct  and 
glorious  in  the  lapse  of  time,  it  is  one  of  the  chief 
agencies  whereby  the  race  to  which  we  belong  is 
being  renewed,  as  it  attracts  the  eye,  melts  the  heart, 
wins  the  homage,  and  molds  the  lives  of  men  in  every 
race  and  clime. 

The  chief  facts  in  the  earthly  career  of  this  Perfect 
Man  are  without  question  to-day,  except  that  the 
miracles  remain  in  dispute  in  certain  controversial 
realms.  We  can  afford  in  this  discussion  to  leave 
them  on  one  side;  in  the  presence  of  this  greatest 
of  all  miracles,  the  unique  life  of  this  Man,  it  seems 
idle  to  ask  whether  or  not  he  could  heal  the  leper  by  a 
word,  calm  the  sea  by  a  command,  and  raise  the  dead 
from  the  tomb.  The  fact  of  his  own  resurrection, 
which  cannot  be  ignored  or  denied  without  believing 
in  theories  which  are  preposterously  absurd — theories 
which  have  been  invented  to  account  for  the  belief 
of  the  disciples  and  of  the  early  Church  in  this  great 
fundamental  fact,  without  accepting  it  as  a  fact — 
surpasses  all  other  miracles  attributed  to  him.  In 
addition  to  that,  his  unique  character — which,  to 
recall  the  words  of  Bushnell,  who  helped  to  put  the 
argument  in  shape  for  his  generation  and  ours, 
"forbids  his  classification  with  man" — combined 
with  the  claims  which  he  makes  and  the  rank  which 
he  assumes  in  the  universe,  constitute  credentials 
of  a  higher  order  than  the  signs  and  wonders  which 
he  wrought  during  his  ministry.  Putting  aside  for 
the  moment  all  other  arguments,  we  may  build  our 


228  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

claim  for  the  supreme  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  on 
two  immovable  buttresses—what  he  was  and  what 
he  declared  himself  to  be. 

Here  are  credentials  which  appeal  to  all  men 
everywhere.  Consider  them  in  brief:  Jesus  Christ 
lived  but  thirty-three  years;  he  was  a  Jew,  yet  he  had 
none  of  the  narrowness  and  provincialism  of  his  race. 
He  dwelt  in  a  little  district  secluded  from  the  centers 
of  intellectual  and  political  activity;  he  enjoyed  none 
of  the  advantages  of  travel  and  scholastic  culture, 
and  alliance  with  the  notable  forces  which  usually 
shape  opinion  and  lay  the  foundations  of  a  new  civili- 
zation; he  had  no  treasury,  no  army,  no  navy,  no 
throne,  no  scepter,  no  large  following;  the  rulers  of 
his  own  people  conspired  to  put  him  out  of  the  way, 
and  the  Roman  empire,  in  the  person  of  its  repre- 
sentative in  Judea,  Pontius  Pilate,  the  governor, 
consented  to  his  execution.  Yet  his  words,  plans, 
and  work  have  reached  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  His 
are  the  only  words  which  have  in  them  the  secret 
of  universal  brotherhood  and  empire  and  the  promise 
of  imperishable  influence.  Unless,  indeed,  this  Man 
of  Galilee  was  what  he  claimed  to  be,  and  what  the 
Church  in  all  ages  has  believed  him  to  be,  then  his 
wonderful  life  stands  in  the  midst  of  human  history 
an  insoluble  riddle  and  a  paradox  for  evermore! 

The  perfect  moral  character  which  we  have  been 
briefly  considering  has  won  admiration  and  recogni- 
tion even  from  those  who  have  refused  to  recognize  his 
divinity.  Lecky,  the  rationalistic  historian,  declares 
that  "in  the  character  and  example  of  Christ  is  an 


THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT  229 

enduring  principle  of  regeneration."  W.  R.  Greg,  the 
English  skeptical  critic,  has  pronounced  Jesus  to  be 
"the  highest  ideal  yet  presented  to  us  on  the  earth." 
John  Stuart  Mill,  philosopher,  critic,  scholar,  says, 
in  spite  of  his  doubts,  "E  very  thing  which  is  excellent 
in  ethics  may  be  brought  within  the  sayings  of  Christ 
without  doing  violence  to  the  language.  He  is  the 
preeminent  genius,  the  greatest  reformer  and  martyr, 
the  ideal  representative  and  guide  of  humanity." 
And,  not  to  multiply  instances  and  witnesses,  Renan 
declares  that  "the  person  of  Jesus  is  at  the  highest 
summit  of  human  greatness." 

But  who  can  in  reason  stop  with  such  tributes  as 
these?  If  Jesus  Christ  was  confessedly  the  greatest 
reformer,  teacher,  and  example  the  world  ever  saw, 
then  his  testimony  concerning  himself  must  be  taken 
into  consideration.  Surely  he  knew  who  and  what 
he  was.  What  did  he  have  to  say  with  regard  to  his 
rank,  as  graded  with  other  members  of  the  human 
race?  What  was  his  place  in  the  universe,  according 
to  his  own  judgment? 

What  did  this  unique,  incomparable,  perfect  One 
say  in  his  own  behalf?  What  claims  does  he  make 
for  himself?  What  does  he  demand  from  the  world? 
What  authority  does  he  assume  to  exercise  over  the 
world,  over  angels  and  men,  over  nature,  and  even 
over  the  administration  of  the  heavenly  empire? 

Our  reply  to  these  inquiries  must  be  brief.  In  a 
single  word,  his  claims,  his  assumptions  of  super- 
human authority  and  rank,  his  demands  upon  men 
of  all  ranks  and  conditions — these  are  transcendent. 


230  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

He  makes  himself  the  object  of  supreme  regard,  and 
puts  himself  in  kingly  relations  with  mankind  such  as 
John  13.  13  befit  Ruler  and  subjects.  He  said:  "Ye  call  me  Lord 
and  Master,  and  ye  do  well;  for  so  I  am."  He  as- 
sumed the  right  to  invite  men,  and  to  command 
them  with  absolute  authority: 

Matt.  11.  28  Follow  me.  .  .  .  Come  unto  me.  ...    I  am  the  light  of 

19.  21       the  world.  ...  I  am  the  bread  of  life.  ...    I  am  the  way, 
John     8.  12       and  the  truth,  and  the  life. 


6.35 
14.    6 


These  words,  put  into  the  mouth  of  Moses,  or 
Isaiah,  or  Paul,  or  Plato,  or  Confucius,  would  be  the 
emptiest  of  mockeries.  The  world  would  laugh  any 
man  to  scorn,  no  matter  how  great  his  abilities,  how 
high  his  rank,  how  masterful  his  influence,  were  he 
to  arrogate  to  himself  the  right  to  use  as  his  own  the 
words  of  command  and  invitation  which  our  Lord 
constantly  employs.  Men  of  all  ranks  and  nations, 
from  age  to  age,  and  belonging  to  many  lands,  have 
acknowledged  these  claims.  Rulers  of  great  empires 
have  bowed  in  submission  at  his  feet,  uncrowning 
themselves  before  him.  Conquerors  of  nations  and 
commanders  of  armies  have  laid  at  his  throne  their 
spoils  and  swords.  The  loftiest  minds  that  have  been 
developed  through  the  centuries  have  knelt  before 
him  and  with  deepest  humility  and  loyalty  have 
confessed  him  to  be  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 
As  indisputable  sovereign  over  the  world  of  moral 
and  religious  thought  and  life  his  sway  has  been 
more  and  more  widely  recognized,  year  by  year.  In 
view  of  these  facts  who  can  say  in  reason  and  candor, 
"The  Man  of  Nazareth  was  and  is  only  a  man"? 


THE  GREAT  PORTRAIT  231 

His  fourfold  claim — that  he  has  the  authority  to  Matt.  9.   6 

1  I      no 

forgive  sin,  and  the  power  to  impart  rest  to  all  who  2b.  31-46 

labor  and  are  heavy-laden;  that  he  is  to  exercise  John  15. 26 
supreme  jurisdiction  over  all  nations  at  the  final 
judgment,  and  that  he  is  able  to  bestow  the  Divine 
Spirit  on  his  disciples  in  answer  to  prayer — lifts  him 
into  an  altitude  far  above  all  merely  human  pre- 
rogatives and  realms.  It  is  not  possible  to  question, 
critically,  and  with  any  substratum  of  fact  under- 
neath the  inquiry,  whether  Jesus  did  or  did  not  make 
these  claims.  His  words  remain,  after  the  lapse  of 
ages,  unquestioned  by  competent  authority  in  this 
regard.  And  upon  them  countless  myriads  have 
built,  and  other  countless  myriads  are  now  building, 
their  hopes  and  plans  for  time  and  eternity.  One 
might  easily  travel  round  the  world  and  find  in  nearly 
every  land  witnesses  to  testify  that  they  had  found 
these  words  of  Christ,  his  assurances  of  help,  his 
promises  of  peace,  his  offer  of  mercy,  to  be  a  guide  in 
darkness,  a  solace  in  sorrow,  a  help  for  the  work  of 
life  and  the  basis  of  hope  for  the  life  beyond.  In  the 
service  of  Christ,  communing  with  his  Word,  trusting 
in  his  grace,  and  imitating  his  example,  they  have 
discovered  the  secret  not  only  of  a  happy  but  of  a 
useful  and  a  consecrated  life.  Their  heartfelt  assur- 
ance that  he  is  able  to  succor  them  in  time  of  need, 
that  he  is  with  them  by  his  spiritual  presence  and 
assistance,  that  he  is  the  inspiration  and  prompting 
of  all  that  is  noblest  and  highest  in  their  inner  life 
and  in  their  outer  achievements,  grows  in  clearness 
and  certainty,  year  by  year.    These  jubilant  witnesses 


232  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

would  gladly  join  with  angels  on  high  and  disciples 
of  the  Master  on  earth  in  the  song  of  Saint  Bernard, 
written  in  another  tongue,  ages  ago: 

Nor  voice  can  sing,  nor  heart  can  frame, 

Nor  can  the  memory  find, 
A  sweeter  sound  than  thy  blest  name, 

O  Saviour  of  mankind! 

Face  to  face  with  this  perfect  portrait  of  the  Christ 
of  the  Gospels,  and  in  full  view  of  the  claims  which 
he  made  for  himself,  again  and  again  when  on  earth, 
and  with  the  world-wide  testimony  of  his  followers 
sounding  on  every  side,  we  may  fitly,  and  with  un- 
feigned humility,  bring  this  portraiture  of  the  Master 
to  an  end  by  calling  to  mind  and  gratefully  employing 
the  ancient  collect: 

O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  didst  send  from  the  Father  the 
Comforter,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth;  Grant  that  he  may 
enlighten  our  minds  with  the  teaching  of  thy  truth,  and 
sanctify  our  hearts  with  the  power  of  thy  grace,  so  that  ever- 
more abiding  in  thee  we  may  be  found  steadfast  in  faith  and 
holy  in  life,  being  conformed  unto  thine  image,  who  art 
with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  ever  one  God,  world 
without  end.    Amen. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE 


God,  having  of  old  time  spoken  unto  the  fathers  in  the 
prophets  by  divers  portions  and  in  divers  manners,  hath  at 
the  end  of  these  days  spoken  unto  us  in  his  Son,  whom  he 
appointed  heir  of  all  things,  through  whom  also  he  made 
the  worlds;  who  being  the  effulgence  of  his  glory,  and  the 
very  image  of  his  substance,  and  upholding  all  things  by 
the  word  of  his  power,  when  he  had  made  purification  of  sins, 
sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high;  having 
become  by  so  much  better  than  the  angels,  as  he  hath  in- 
herited a  more  excellent  name  than  they.  For  unto  which 
of  the  angels  said  he  at  any  time, 

Thou  art  my  Son, 

This  day  have  I  begotten  thee? 
and  again, 

I  will  be  to  him  a  Father, 

And  he  shall  be  to  me  a  Son? 
And  again  when  he  bringeth  in  the  firstborn  into  the  world 
he  saith,  And  let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship  him.     And 
of  the  angels  he  saith, 

Who  maketh  his  angels  winds, 

And  his  ministers  a  flame  of  fire : 
but  of  the  Son  he  saith, 

Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever; 

And  the  scepter  of  uprightness  is  the  scepter  of  thy  kingdom. 
— Heb.  1.  1-8. 

Great  God,  mine  eyes  with  pleasure  look 
On  the  dear  volume  of  thy  Book; 
There  my  Redeemer's  face  I  see, 
And  read  his  Name  who  died  for  me. 

— Isaac  Watts. 


234 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE 

The  Bible  throughout  is  distinguished  by  an  ele- 
ment which  serves  to  divide  off  the  Christian  system 
from  all  other  faiths — the  spirit  of  hope.  Other 
religions  of  the  world  are  brooded  over  with  gloom, 
with  fear,  with  monstrous  and  grotesque  supersti- 
tions; not  one  of  the  pagan  faiths  is  lighted  up  with 
joyful  anticipations  of  better  things  to  come.  A 
vision  of  these  better  things  is  caught  in  advance  by 
every  Christian  believer,  and  he  is  thus  heartened  for 
whatever  of  conflict  or  suffering  he  must  undergo. 
Of  him  and  his  fellow  soldiers  the  poet  has  sung : 

They  see  the  triumph  from  afar, 
By  faith  they  bring  it  nigh. 

To  this  feature  of  the  Book  we  now  give  heed  as 
we  bring  our  discussion  to  an  end — to  this  great 
truth  that  the  teachings  of  this  volume  beget  a  whole- 
some spirit  of  optimism,  buoy  up  the  depressed  with 
encouragement,  direct  the  eye  of  the  soul  ever  upward 
and  onward,  and  continually  point  out  in  the  opening 
future  greater  achievements  to  be  accomplished, 
nobler  victories  to  be  won,  deeper  joys  to  be  experi- 
enced, and  vaster  empires  to  be  conquered. 

Great  souls  have  written  again  and  again  of  the 
value  and  force  of  this  principle  which  is  by  precept 

235 


236  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

and  example  amply  set  forth  in  Scripture.    Tenny- 
son's line, 

The  mighty  hopes  which  make  us  men"; 

the  words  of  another  poet, 

The  most  vital  movement  mortals  feel 

Is  hope,  the  balm  and  life-blood  of  the  soul; 

the  utterance  of  Pope, 

Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast; 

and  Cowper's  glowing  testimony, 

Hope,  as  an  anchor,  firm  and  sure,  holds  fast 
The  Christian's  vessel,  and  defies  the  blast, 

—these  are  all  in  accord  with  the  profound  truth 
spoken  by  a  great  London  preacher,  Canon  Liddon: 

Hope  is  the  soul  of  moral  vitality,  the  nerve,  the  backbone, 
of  all  true  life.  Any  man,  or  society  of  men,  who  would 
live — in  the  moral  sense  of  the  term  life — must  be  looking 
forward  to  something. 

Saint  Paul  had  in  mind  a  truth  like  this  when  he 
announced  as  his  motto, 

This  one  thing  I  do:  forgetting  the  things  which  are  be- 
hind, and  stretching  forward  to  the  things  which  are  before, 
I  press  on  toward  the  goal. 

1.  A  single  glance  at  the  degradation  of  the  old 
Roman  world  in  the  age  when  our  Lord  was  born 
will  satisfy  any  inquirer  that  one  of  the  most  precious 
gifts  which  the  gospel  brought  to  men  was  this  uplift- 
ing, inspiring  grace,  Christian  hope.  No  one  can 
study  the  classical  literature  of  that  period  without 
being  moved  with  the  despairing  tone  of  its  writers, 
great  and  small.    The  times  were  corrupt,  the  age 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  237 

was  rotten  with  vices  which  cannot  even  be  described 
in  our  day;  things,  indeed,  were  so  utterly  bad  that 
men  had  ceased  to  expect  any  improvement.  It 
would  require  more  space  than  we  can  give  simply  to 
catalogue  the  miseries,  crimes,  and  degradations  of 
the  epoch,  or  to  cite  from  Roman  essayists,  poets, 
and  historians  characteristic  passages  depicting  the 
greed,  cruelty,  and  debauchery  which  had  destroyed 
the  moral  life  of  the  people.  The  one  fact  to  which 
we  advert  is  that  men  were  in  despair;  they  could 
see  no  prospect  of  betterment;  philosophy,  the  pagan 
faiths,  law,  poetry,  military  power,  heathen  systems 
of  ethics,  literature,  the  arts — all  had  done  their 
utmost,  and  the  world  was  sated,  selfish,  despairing, 
lost!  Saint  Paul,  writing  to  a  body  of  converted 
Gentiles  and  referring  to  their  estate  before  the  gospel 
came  to  them,  says:  "At  that  time  ye  were  without  Eph.  2. 12 
Christ,  .  .  .  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in 
the  world.' '  It  was  therefore  to  a  race  merged  in 
the  depths  of  helplessness  and  despondency  that  the 
gospel  came  with  its  message  of  light  and  encourage- 
ment.   One  of  its  tuneful  preludes  ran  thus: 

The  Dayspring  from  on  high  shall  visit  us,  to  shine  upon   Luke  1.  78,  79 
them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death;  to  guide 
our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 

And  another,  sent  by  an  apostle  to  a  body  of  con- 
verts who  lived  in  the  place  which  of  all  others  needed 
to  be  led  up  out  of  the  depths  of  degradation  and  de- 
spair, the  city  of  Rome,  is  this : 

Whatsoever  things  were  written  beforetime  were  written  Rom.  15.  4 
for  our  learning,  that  through  patience,  and  through  cotnfort 
of  the  scriptures,  we  might  have  hope. 


238  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

Patience,  comfort,  hope — to  make  these  blessings 
accessible  the  Bible  was  prepared,  and  its  message 
in  that  era  was  proclaimed  to  a  generation  whose 
moral  collapse  defies  delineation.  Matthew  Arnold 
has  striven  to  portray  that  age  in  this  stanza: 

On  that  hard  pagan  world  disgust 

And  secret  loathing  fell; 
Deep  weariness  and  sated  lust 

Made  human  life  a  hell. 

But  not  even  the  poet's  "vision  and  faculty  divine" 
can  reproduce  the  horrors  of  that  period,  one  of 
whose  most  deplorable  features  was  its  prevalent 
despair.  The  oracles  were  dumb,  the  priests  were 
impotent,  the  deities  were  dead,  and  apathy  and 
hopelessness  had  settled  down  like  night  on  the 
empire.  It  was  in  such  an  age  that  the  religion  of 
hope  began  its  course  in  the  world,  and  the  "Book  of 
the  Future,"  completed  by  the  addition  of  its  New 
Testament  portion,  unfolded  its  visions  of  cheer  and 
comfort  for  mankind.1 

2.  Even  apart  from  the  biblical  teachings  and  ex- 
amples on  this  theme,  and  without  reference  to  the 
religious  offices  of  this  virtue  which  we  have  in  mind — 
the  benediction  which  accompanies  a  cheery  tempera- 
ment, the  helpfulness  which  marks  the  man  who 
always  looks  on  the  silver  lining  of  the  cloud,  and 
who  thus  illumines  other  lives  by  the  sunshine  of  his 
buoyant  spirit — these  speak  for  themselves,  without 
argument  or  comment.   It  is  a  noble  function  which  is 

1  For  a  survey  of  the  moral  condition  of  the  pagan  world  at  the  opening 
of  the  Christian  era,  with  references  to  the  original  authorities  in  the  case, 
see  F.  W.  Farrar's  The  Early  Days  of  Christianity,  opening  chapter. 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  239 

given  to  those  who  have  a  sanguine  disposition,  where- 
with they  can  hearten  the  despondent,  encourage  the 
timid,  comfort  the  forlorn,  strengthen  the  faint- 
hearted, and  succor  those  who  are  mired  in  the  Slough 
of  Despond.  Even  the  chronic  lamentations  of  the 
pessimist  cease  for  a  time  in  the  presence  of  one 
whose  eyes  are  keen  enough  to  look  up  through  the 
tempest-clouds  and  see  the  bow  of  promise  shining 
in  the  heavens.  The  ability  to  make  the  invalid 
laugh,  to  wipe  the  tears  from  the  eyes  that  weep, 
to  bring  a  new  purpose  and  a  new  cheeriness  to  those 
who  are  utterly  broken  in  spirit,  is  a  noble  faculty. 
But  when  to  that  natural  gift  of  a  cheery  disposition 
there  are  added  the  illumination,  the  steadiness,  the 
hold  on  things  eternal  which  the  hope  of  the  gospel 
assures — then  indeed  do  we  begin  to  understand  the 
worth  of  this  endowment. 

3.  It  is  evident  to  those  who  study  the  history  of  the 
ancient  Israelites  that  Jehovah  kept  them  together, 
consolidated  the  tribes  into  unity,  preserved  them 
from  utter  destruction,  and  gave  them  much  of  their 
distinction  and  usefulness  in  the  world  largely  by 
means  of  the  impartation  of  hope  to  them,  as  individ- 
uals and  as  a  people.  The  hope  of  an  heir,  planted 
in  the  heart  of  Abraham;  the  hope  of  deliverance 
from  Egyptian  bondage,  kept  alive  amid  experiences 
of  tyranny  and  poverty  indescribable ;  the  hope  of  an 
inheritance  in  Canaan,  of  conquest  over  their  foes, 
of  a  return  into  their  own  land  out  of  dreadful  cap- 
tivity, of  a  King  who  would  by  and  by  reign  from 
the  river  unto  the  end  of  the  earth — these  hopes,  from 


240  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

time  to  time,  maintained  by  God's  grace,  and  admin- 
istered by  the  sure  word  of  prophecy,  were  chief 
among  the  means  by  which  the  chosen  nation  was 
preserved  as  God's  messenger  and  mouthpiece  to  the 
world. 

4.  The  prophets  of  the  nation,  in  spite  of  the  denun- 
ciations which  they  were  often  bidden  to  speak,  and 
the  messages  of  doom  which  became  their  "burden" 
as  they  went  on  their  errands  of  wrath,  were  still  men 
of  hopeful  temper.  Every  man  in  that  ancient 
"goodly  fellowship  of  the  prophets"  was  an  optimist. 
Not  a  man  of  them  all,  except  Jonah,  contented  him- 
self with  lamentations,  censure,  and  predictions  of 
doom.  When  Israel  and  Judah  both  went  into 
captivity,  when  the  city  of  Jerusalem  was  laid  waste, 
and  the  altar  was  desolate,  and  the  temple  was  in 
ruins,  and  the  people,  broken-hearted  and  despairing, 
cried  out  in  anguish  to  ask  how  they  could  sing  the 
Lord's  songs  in  a  strange  land — even  then  the  voice 
of  the  prophet  was  not  silent.  He  had  a  song  for 
them  in  the  night  of  their  exile.  To  the  captives  by 
the  waters  of  Babylon  one  of  their  prophets  spoke: 

17,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah:  I  will  gather  you  out  from 
the  peoples,  and  assemble  you  out  of  the  countries  where 
ye  have  been  scattered,  and  I  will  give  you  the  land  of  Israel. 
.  .  .  And  I  will  put  a  new  spirit  within  you :  and  I  will  take 
the  stony  heart  out  of  their  flesh,  and  will  give  them  a  heart 
of  flesh :  that  they  may  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  keep  mine 
ordinances,  and  do  them:  and  they  shall  be  my  people,  and 
I  will  be  their  God. 

Thus  at  various  times  in  the  history  of  this  people 
they  sang:  "We  shall  be  brought  out  of  Egypt  with 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  241 

a  high  hand  and  a  strong  arm!  .  .  .  Our  children 
shall  inherit  Canaan!  .  .  .  We  shall  escape  from 
exile  and  come  back  to  the  Promised  Land !  By  and 
by  our  King  shall  be  born!  We  shall  have  a  Re- 
deemer! He  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever!  In  him 
shall  all  the  earth  be  blessed!    Hallelujah!" 

5.  The  modern  transformation  in  the  mind  and 
heart  of  China  wrought  out  by  the  impartation  of 
something  like  this  ancient  national  spirit  of  hope 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  our  time. 
For  centuries  that  empire  has  been  in  a  comatose 
state;  its  eyes  have  been  averted  from  the  present 
to  the  past;  its  educational  system,  its  domestic  life,  its 
political  rule  all  have  been  fashioned  by  its  habit 
of  dozing  and  dreaming  over  the  work  of  its  long-dead 
ancestors  and  in  servile  fashion  imitating  and  copying 
out  in  writing  or  in  the  memory  the  wisdom  of  an- 
tiquity. In  that  moribund  estate  there  could  be  no 
outlook  for  that  great  people  in  an  age  like  ours. 
Within  a  decade  fresh  life  has  been  awakened  in 
China  through  a  new  spirit  of  mingled  desire,  expecta- 
tion, and  ambition,  whereby  the  eyes  of  the  leaders 
are  directed  to  the  future.  And  now  the  government 
which  had  long  been  but  little  else  than  a  moss- 
grown  political  petrifaction,  is  informed  with  modern 
methods,  is  instinct  with  new  life,  and  is  throbbing 
through  and  through  with  a  new  hope.  And  it  is 
no  secret  that  the  awakening  of  this  new  hope  in 
China,  and  the  startling  change  that  has  been  achieved 
in  its  entire  system  of  education,  government,  and 
life,  have  come  in  large  measure  through  the  quiet, 


242  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

leavening  influence  of  the  gospel  which  has  been  at 
work  for  a  hundred  years,  amid  persecution  and 
peril,  throughout  the  land. 

6.  The  message  of  the  Scripture,  throughout,  is  full 
of  exhortations  bidding  men  cultivate  this  expecta- 
tion and  desire  for  better  things  to  come.  The 
New  Testament  has  been  aptly  called  "the  most  hope- 
ful book  in  all  the  literature  of  the  world.  Its  gospel 
begins  with  the  heavenly  song  of  peace  and  good 
will,  and  it  ends  with  the  new  song  of  the  redeemed 
in  the  skies." 

Note  these  passages  as  types  of  many  like  utter- 
ances taken  from  the  Scripture: 

Psa.  31.  24  Be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen  your  heart, 

all  ye  that  hope  in  the  Lord. 
71 m  5  Thou  art  my  hope,  O  Lord  God;  thou  art  my  trust  from 

my  youth. 
130.  7  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  Lord;  for  with  the  Lord  there  is 

mercy. 
Prov.  14.  32  The  righteous  hath  hope  in  his  death. 

Lam.  3.  26  It  is  good  that  a   man  should  both  hope  and  quietly  wait 

for  the  salvation  of  the  Lord. 
Zech.  9.  12  Turn  you  to  the  stronghold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope. 

Rom.    8.  24  We  are  saved  by  hope. 

15  13  The  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believing 

that  ye  may  abound  in  hope,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 
1  Cor.  13. 13  Now  abideth  faith,  hope,  love,  these  three. 

1  Thess.  5.  8  For  an  helmet,  the  hope  of  salvation. 

Heb.  6  18  19       ^ne  ^°Pe  se^  before  us;  which  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the 
'        soul. 

Nourished,  informed,  stimulated,  and  built  up  by 
this  grace  of  hope,  the  Christian  is  girded  for  victory, 
and  sustained  and  strengthened  for  toil  and  suffering. 

7.  Is  it  not  worth  while  to  give  a  thought  to  the 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  243 

work  wrought  in  the  world  by  the  pioneers  of  explo- 
ration, discovery,  and  colonization,  who  have  been 
sustained  by  hope  amid  perils  in  the  wilderness,  the 
jungle,  and  the  mountain  in  their  arduous  labors 
of  opening  up  the  world  for  commerce  and  Christian- 
ity? Without  the  reinforcement  which  hope  gave 
them  in  dark  hours,  how  could  they  have  made  any 
headway?  These  heroic  men  have  made  the  forests 
ring  with  their  cheers  and  the  ocean  to  resound  with 
their  songs.  The  man  who  first  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  search  of  a  new  path  to  India;  the  navigator  who 
first  found  his  resolute  way  around  the  globe;  the 
lion-hearted  pioneers  who  opened  up,  generations 
ago,  the  Northern  Lakes,  the  Mississippi  River,  the 
great  plains,  and  the  far  off  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
thus  put  a  lien  upon  them  as  the  coming  patrimony  of 
freedom  and  the  gospel — who  can  estimate  how 
much  we  owe  to  their  heroically  hopeful  spirit? 
Through  savage  foes,  pestilential  diseases,  assailments 
of  wild  beasts,  privation,  famine,  and  sometimes 
martyrdom,  they  pressed  on  their  way  until  they 
conquered  a  new  home  for  liberty,  a  new  treasure- 
house  for  humanity,  and  a  new  opportunity  for  the 
world. 

8.  The  disciplinary  power  of  this  "stanch,  adven- 
turous, and  eagle-eyed"  faculty  has  much  to  do  with 
the  development  of  the  soul,  which  learns  under  its 
tuition  to  eagerly  desire,  and  strenuously  plan,  and 
mightily  contend  for  greater  deeds  and  deeper  expe- 
riences in  the  time  to  come.  By  waiting,  expecting, 
never  giving  up,  always  looking  forward,  laying  hold 


244  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

day  by  day  on  the  Power  of  the  Future,  catching 
hourly  glimpses  of  frowning  heights  ahead,  and  re- 
solving to  scale  them,  anticipating  the  battles  of  the 
morrow  and  preparing  to  win  them,  enduring  without 
flinching  or  complaining  all  the  knocks  and  rebuffs 
and  hurts  that  come  from  time  to  time,  but  still 
pressing  on  and  up — thus  character  is  matured,  and 
the  soul  is  made  great,  and  eternal  life  is  assured. 
And  that  in  a  single  sentence  is  the  great  lesson  of 
the  Book  of  Hope ! 

9.  The  ministrations  of  this  noble  grace  to  the 
Christian  believer  are  vividly  portrayed  by  Bunyan 
in  his  Pilgrim's  Progress.  It  shows  the  insight  of  this 
writer  that  he  placed  alongside  of  Christian  in  the 
most  critical  conflicts  and  temptations  of  the  pil- 
grimage, as  his  companion  and  guide,  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Hopeful,  who  even  in  the  prison  of  Giant 
Despair  could  say,  "Let  us  be  patient  and  endure 
awhile;  the  time  may  come  that  will  give  us  a  happy 
release."  It  was  Hopeful  who  thought  of  the  key 
of  Promise  by  which  to  unlock  the  dungeon  doors. 
It  was  Hopeful  who  sustained  Christian  in  the  depths 
of  the  river,  when,  even  with  the  towers  and  battle- 
ments of  the  city  in  view,  the  feet  of  the  Pilgrim 
were  slipping  and  his  senses  reeling  under  the  stress 
of  the  last  struggle.  It  was  Hopeful  who  kept  his 
brother's  head  above  the  waters,  encouraged  him 
when  half  dead  with  fright,  and  shouted  in  his  ears, 
"I  see  the  gate  and  men  standing  by  to  receive  you. 
Cheer  up!"  It  was  Hopeful  who  held  up  his  fellow 
pilgrim,  took  him  by  the  hand,  led  him  through  the 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  245 

waters  to  the  farther  bank,  where  the  welcome  given 
to  arriving  pilgrims  was  administered!  Blessed 
Brother  Hopeful!  Who  has  not  been  ministered  to 
by  him  in  time  of  trial  and  depression?  Who  has 
not  been  gladdened  and  buoyed  up  and  comforted 
and  animated  for  a  further  struggle  by  his  example 
and  spirit  and  helping  hand? 

10.  Back  of  the  greatest  movement  of  the  centuries 
— the  campaign  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world — 
lies  this  fundamental  grace,  the  expectation  and 
desire  for  the  capture  of  all  nations  for  Jesus  Christ. 
He  said:  "Go,  make  disciples  of  all  nations.  The 
field  is  the  world.  This  gospel  shall  be  preached  to 
all  nations."  Paul  caught  the  vision  and  outlined 
his  plans  for  the  evangelization  of  the  Gentiles. 
For  ages  the  Church  halted  in  view  of  the  walls  of 
isolation  which  encompassed  the  hermit  nations  of 
the  Orient,  and  tarried,  for  a  long  time  in  apathy  and 
unbelief,  and  then  for  a  generation  or  more  in  prayer, 
for  the  gates  to  be  opened  and  the  walls  to  be  broken 
down.  To-day  these  petitions  have  been  gloriously 
answered,  for  the  doors  of  separation  have  been  opened 
wide,  and  the  opportune  hour  has  sounded  for  the 
advance  of  the  armies  of  the  King  all  along  the  line — 
in  the  Turkish  empire,  in  the  Dark  Continent,  in 
China,  Korea,  Japan,  and  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
To  the  Church,  confronting  opportunities  such  as 
never  before  stirred  the  heart  of  Christ's  followers, 
the  Angel  of  Hope  sings  her  song  from  the  Word: 

The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  as 
the  waters  cover  the  sea.  ...   He  shall  have  dominion  also 


246  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  River  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  .  .  .  The  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the 
rose.  .  .  .  His  name  shall  endure  forever.  .  .  .  The  king- 
doms of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ.  The  heathen  shall  be  his  inheritance  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  his  possession.  The  whole 
earth  shall  be  filled  with  his  glory!    Amen  and  Amen. 

This  vision  of  the  conquest  of  the  whole  world  by 
the  gospel  shines  to-day  before  the  eye  of  Christen- 
dom. The  men  who  know  most  thoroughly  the 
difficulties  of  the  task — the  thronging  millions  of 
heathenism,  the  tremendous  power  of  caste,  of  idola- 
trous practices,  and  of  Oriental  creeds;  the  debasing 
superstitions  and  vices  of  savage  lands,  and  the 
almost  invincible  hold  which  prejudice  has  upon  the 
non-Christian  races  and  lands — see  the  vision  most 
clearly  and  believe  in  it  most  profoundly.  It  is  not 
the  men  at  the  front  who  raise  a  question  concerning 
the  possibility  of  winning  the  world  for  Christ — it 
is  the  men  in  the  rear! 

Meanwhile,  we  merely  indicate  at  a  glance  the  fact 
that  one  of  the  great  attractions  of  the  Book  is  its 
picture  of  a  world  redeemed  by  Jesus  Christ  and 
finally  won  by  his  gospel. 

11.  There  yet  remains  to  be  briefly  indicated  a 
concluding  function  of  the  hope  set  before  us  in  the 
gospel;  but  before  glancing  at  it,  and  in  that  glance 
bringing  this  discussion  to  a  close,  it  may  be  worth 
while  to.  suggest  the  evidential  value  of  the  phases 
of  the  Bible  which  we  have  now  brought  to  view. 
In  these  chapters  the  Scriptures  have  been  permitted 
to  speak  for  themselves,  the  task  of  the  author  being 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  247 

to  uncover  and  set  in  organic  array  their  amazing 
attractions,  the  multiform  phases  of  their  power.  It 
is  left  for  the  reader  of  this  volume  to  ask:  "Whence 
came  these  marvelous  utterances,  these  transcendent 
charms,  these  matchless  exhibitions  of  wisdom,  sub- 
limity, and  manifold  beauty?  What  elements  in 
this  Book  separate  it  in  splendid  isolation  from  all 
other  books  on  earth?  How  has  it  come  that  the 
writers  of  the  books  of  Scripture,  sundered  one  from 
another  by  isolating  circumstances — their  geographi- 
cal locations,  their  situations  in  the  midst  of  different 
ages,  their  varieties  of  environing  civilizations  and 
languages — how  has  it  come  that  they  give  such  a 
finally  unified  view  of  God,  and  man,  and  sin,  and 
salvation,  of  time  and  eternity,  of  life,  and  death, 
and  immortality?  Whence  came  the  unifying  spirit, 
the  enlarging  and  harmonious  scope,  the  increasingly 
vivid  unfolding  of  the  will  of  the  Creator,  and  the 
culmination  of  the  whole  record  as  found  in  the  New 
Covenant?  How  may  we  account  for  the  searching, 
awakening,  revealing  ministry  of  this  Book,  in  its 
operations  on  the  heart  and  conscience  of  man?  Tak- 
ing the  volume  as  a  whole,  whence  did  it  come?  How 
must  we,  as  rational  beings,  account  for  its  origin, 
its  history,  its  authority,  and  its  ever-increasing 
influence  ?" 

We  leave  these  questions  with  the  reader  to  answer. 
It  will  be  seen,  at  a  glance,  that  some  of  the  current 
questions  in  biblical  criticism,  and  some  objections 
often  raised  in  opposition  to  the  claims  of  the  Bible, 
are  in  this  view  of  the  case  simply  ruled  out  of  court, 


248  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

as  immaterial  to  the  case — they  have  no  standing  here. 
The  contents  of  the  Bible  as  outlined  in  their  essence, 
their  substance,  their  vital  character,  in  this  volume 
do  not  depend  for  their  worth  or  authority  on  the 
matters  now  occupying  the  attention  of  the  world  of 
biblical  interpreters — as  to  the  authorship  and  date 
of  the  Hexateuch,  the  interpretation  of  a  few  chapters 
in  Genesis,  the  dual  authorship  of  Isaiah,  the  relation 
of  David  to  the  book  of  Psalms,  and  the  question, 
"Who  wrote  Ecclesiastes?"  On  the  other  hand,  we 
may  rightly  say  to  all  men  everywhere  who  read  the 
Scripture:  Here  is  a  Book  of  unquestioned  beauty, 
of  literally  matchless  attractions,  of  life-giving  quali- 
ties, a  Book  that  bears  on  nearly  every  page  some 
token  of  a  superhuman  relationship.  Aside  from 
all  questions  of  the  Old  Testament  miracles,  or  any 
inquiry  concerning  the  authorship  of  the  Pentateuch 
— questions  which  are  not  vital,  which  do  not  inhere 
in  the  substantial  claims  and  ministry  of  the  volume 
— the  Bible  has  underlying  qualities,  phases,  and 
claims  which  make  it  absolutely  a  unique,  a  distinc- 
tive, a  solitary  book,  with  an  age-long  and  world- 
wide influence,  and  an  individualizing,  an  uplifting, 
a  comforting  function  which  ally  it  vitally  and  inti- 
mately with  the  universal  human  heart.  Answer 
for  yourself  and  say,  in  all  candor,  Whence  did  this 
book  get  this  uplifting,  renewing,  saving  power? 

And  now,  after  this  brief  summing  up  of  the  case, 
we  are  ready  for  the  closing  paragraph,  in  which  to 
note  the  final  functions,  the  last  blessed  ministrations 
of  the  messages  of  the  Book. 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  249 

12.  Christian  hope  attends  the  believer  by  its 
cheering  ministries  to  the  very  last,  alleviating  his 
griefs,  animating  him  for  his  struggles,  supporting 
him  in  his  pilgrimage,  till  the  inevitable  end  appears 
in  sight.  At  last,  when  all  mortal  succor  is  vain, 
when  friendship,  and  medical  skill,  and  womanly 
sympathy,  and  will-power,  and  fortitude  have  done 
all  that  they  can  do  to  sustain  and  encourage  the 
dying  believer — then  hope  achieves  her  culminating 
triumph,  uncovering  the  splendors  of  eternity,  open- 
ing the  gateway  of  the  skies,  revealing  friends  waiting 
for  the  home-coming,  the  Saviour  himself  ready  to 
bestow  the  crown,  the  beatific  vision,  the  robe,  the 
scepter,  and  the  regal  welcome,  all  in  store  in  the  city 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  Under 
the  spell  of  this  celestial  vision,  opened  up  by  Hope, 
the  departing  saint  exultingly  testifies: 

I  shall  see  my  loved  ones  again,  and  they  shall  be  mine 
for  evermore.  I  shall  gain  the  crown  promised  to  them 
who  are  faithful  unto  death.  I  shall  enter  into  the  rest  that 
remaineth  for  them  that  love  the  Redeemer.  Death,  the 
last  enemy,  shall  be  destroyed.  I  shall  hear  the  Master  say, 
Well  done;  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. 

For  the  individual  believer  this  is  the  peaceful 
and  victorious  issue  which  the  Book  of  Hope  portrays 
as  the  outcome  of  a  faithful  and  consecrated  life: 
After  toil,  rest;  after  conflict,  victory;  after  the 
struggle,  the  crown! 

For  the  human  race  there  is  left  on  the  closing 

page  of  this  Book  of  Endless  Charms  this  portrayal 

of  the  Great  Consummation: 

And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth;   for  the  first   Rev.  21.  1-4 
heaven  and  the  first  earth  are  passed  away;  and  the  sea  is  no 


250  CHARMS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

more.  And  I  saw  the  holy  city,  New  Jerusalem,  coming 
down  out  of  heaven  from  God,  made  ready  as  a  bride  adorned 
for  her  husband  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  the 
throne  saying,  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men, 
and  he  shall  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  peoples, 
and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God:  and 
he  shall  wipe  away  every  tear  from  their  eyes;  and  death  shall 
be  no  more;  neither  shall  there  be  mourning,  nor  crying,  nor 
pain,  any  more. 
Rev.  22.  3-5  And  there  shall  be  no  curse  any  more:  and  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall  be  therein :  and  his  servants  shall 
serve  him;  and  they  shall  see  his  face;  and  his  name  shall  be 
on  their  foreheads.  And  there  shall  be  night  no  more;  and 
they  need  no  light  of  lamp,  neither  light  of  sun ;  for  the  Lord 
God  shall  give  them  light :  and  they  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever. 

Christian  poets  by  the  score,  pondering  the  un- 
veiled splendors  of  the  heavenly  city,  in  the  above 
and  in  other  passages  of  Scripture,  have  been  uplifted 
and  inspired  to  utter  praise  and  prayer  in  songs  that 
will  never  die.  Christopher  Wordsworth,  for  ex- 
ample, the  Anglican  bishop  and  hymn  writer, 
sings: 

They  have  come  from  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their 

robes  in  blood, 
Washed  them  in  the  blood  of  Jesus;  tried  they  were,  and 

firm  they  stood; 
Gladly,  Lord,  with  thee  they  suffered;  gladly,  Lord,  with 

thee  they  died, 
And  by  death  to  life  immortal  they  were  born  and  glorified. 

John  Berridge,  an  English  clergyman,  during  a  long 
and  dangerous  illness  in  1772,  wrote  many  songs  of 
heaven,  of  which  this  stanza  is  typical: 

O  happy  saints,  who  dwell  in  light, 
And  walk  with  Jesus,  clothed  in  white; 
Safe  landed  on  that  peaceful  shore, 
Where  pilgrims  meet  to  part  no  more. 


THE  BOOK  OF  HOPE  251 

And  Peter  Damiana,  the  monk  and  bishop,  in  his 
great  Latin  hymn,  beginning, 

Ad  perennis  vitae  fontem, 
wrote  these  lines,  which  have  reechoed  for  a  thou- 
sand years  since  they  were  composed: 

Christ,  the  Palm  of  faithful  victors!  of  that  city  make  me 

free; 
When  my  warfare   is  accomplished,  to  its  mansions  lead 

thou  me, — 
Grant  me,  with  its  happy  inmates,  sharer  of  thy  gifts  to  be ! 

And  now,  at  the  last,  we  may  illuminate  and  at  the 
same  time  conclude  these  studies  of  the  Charms  of 
the  Bible  by  reproducing  from  one  of  the  hymns  of 
Godfrey  Thring — a  recently  deceased  English  clergy- 
man, the  author  of  many  notable  sacred  lyrics — two 
stanzas  which  may  help  us  to  see  new  beauties  in  the 
vision  of  Saint  John,  as  quoted  from  the  book  of 
Revelation,  and  which  may  also  prompt  us  to  utter 
as  the  prayer  of  our  deepest  hearts  the  aspiration 
with  which  the  verses  end : 

O  great  and  glorious  vision! 

The  Lamb  upon  his  throne : 
O  wondrous  sight  for  man  to  see!— 

The  Saviour  with  his  own; 
To  drink  the  living  waters, 

And  stand  upon  the  shore, 
Where  neither  sorrow,  sin,  nor  death 

Shall  ever  enter  more. 

O  Lamb  of  God  who  reignest — 

Thou  Bright  and  Morning  Star — 
Whose  glory  lightens  that  new  earth 

Which  now  we  see  from  far; 
O  worthy  Judge  Eternal, 

When  thou  dost  bid  us  come, 
Then  open  wide  the  gates  of  pearl 

And  call  thy  servants  home! 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS 


Genesis      page' 

outline  of 28,  291. 

1.1-5 60| 

1.10 96! 

3.9,11,13 64  ch 

4.6,9,10 64 

12.  3 16,130 

ch.  12-23 107 

13.  12 146 

17.  8 131 

18.  19 149 

18.  25 159 

18.  27 110 

21.17 64 

22.  17,  18 95,130 

ch.  24-27 107 

ch.  28-36 108 

ch.  37-50 108 

49.  3-12 70 

49.  26 93 

50.  20 162 

50.  24,25 132 


Ruth         page 
16-18 148 

1  Samuel 
.  1-3 109.147 

2  Samuel 

.1-15 68 

.33 62 


Exodus 

3.  7,8 61,132, 

8.  15 

33.  14 

34.  6,  7 

Leviticus 

4.  26,31,35 

5.  10,  16,  18 


157 
112 
137 
134 


134 

134 


34.  6 


Numbers 


22. 


1  Kings 


112 

64 

147 


2  Chronicles 
3 147 


9.  6. 


Ezra 


122 


26. 


Job 

71 

71 

.7-9 97 

.  15 Ill 

.15 159 

8-11 98 

.5,6 110 


Psalms 


Deuteronomy 

6.  4-9 

7.9 

8.  18 

15.  6 

28.  37,64-66 

33.  13-16 

33.  25 

34.  1,  6 


9.  ! 
12. 
95  18. 
18. 

19. 
19. 
28. 
25. 
25. 


Joshua 


outlined 
1.  1-6... 

1.8 

9.  3-6 . . . 
24.  15 . . . 


6.  15, 


Judges 


148 

159 

190 

190 

l91!3i 

16a  oi 

88'31 

32 

33 

29  34 

132134 

46  36 

68  38 

149 140 

41 

145 

11045 


2,  28-35. 

7 

1-4 

7-11.... 


.  5 

.  10.... 
.  15..., 
.  19... 
.  24 . . . . 

.  8 

7 

.  9,  10. 
.  19.... 


139 

...  46 

....  71 

...  93 

...  90 

...  6 

...  137 

...  122 
137, 199 

. . .  139 

...  122 

...  162 

....  159 

. . .  242 

...  137 

...  98 

...  137 

...  139 

...  94 

...  122 

...  122 

...  139 

...  22 

...  52 


PAGE 

46.  1-3 94,  139 

i46.  7 108 

|51.  1-i 116 

55.  22 139 

63.  3 159 

|65.12 93 

69.8 77 

71.  5 242 

,72.3 94 

,72.8 98 

73.  24 137 

73.  26 139 

77.  19 98 

78.1-8 78 

78.  13 95 

79.  4 77 

80.  5 77 

81.4,5 77 

89.  8.  9 98 

89.  14 159 

90.1,2 93 

90.6 71 

93.  3,  4 98 

95.4 93 

97.  5 93,99 

98.  8 93 

103.  3 134 

103.  12 135 

103.  13 61,  139 

104.  24-31 74,98 

107.  23-31 99 

119.  18 11 

119.46 46 

119.  50 139 

119.59 17 

119.96 46 

119.  105 7 

119.  130 10 

121.  1,2 93,94 

130.  7 242 

139.  1,2 158 

145.  2-5 157,  158 

147.  1-9 60 

147.  2-4 157 

147.  5 158 

Proverbs 

1.  8,9 148 

1.  24,  25 121 


2.  3-5 . 

2.  4 

3.  13-17. 

4.  13.... 
4.  18.... 
4.  20,  27 , 


17 

9 

14 

17 

155 

128 


253 


254 


INDEX  OF  TEXTS 


PAGE 

6.  11 162 

10.  7 121 

10.30 77 

12.19 77 

12.  24 162 

13.20 77 

14.  32 242 

15.  3 158 

15.16 77 

20.  4 162 

21.  30 158 

23.  22 149 

25.11,13,25 22 

28.  13 199 

31.  10-31 154 

ECCLESIASTE8 

12.  1 149 

12.  10,  11 58 

Isaiah 

1.  2 121 

1.  18 17,135 

2.  2 94 

3.  11-16 121 

4.  6 139 

5.  3,  4 63 

5.  20 121 

6.  3 159 

10.3 65 

ch.  13 191 

23.11 98 

34.16   58 

38.  17 135 

40.  1 140 

40.8 58 

40.  12 93 

41.8 157 

42.  16 157 

43.  1-3 80 

43.  2 140 

43.16 98 

44.  22 135 

49.13 94 

52.  7-10 204 

54.  10 61 

55.  12 93 

57.20,21 98 

58.  11 137 

59.  3 121 

61.  1,  2 140 

66.  13 61,  139 

Jeremiah 

1.  6 110 

5.  26 121 

6.15 65 

8.22 65 

17.  9 119 

23.  24 158 

31.  34 134 

32.  17 158 

48.8,10-12 82 

ch.  51 191 


PAGE 

Lamentations 

3.  26 242 

EZEKIEL 

7.14-17 81 

11.  17-20 240 

18.19 98 

ch.  27 191 

33.11 65 

Daniel 

12.  3 164 

Hosea 

4.  1,  6 121 

7.  2 121 

8.  7 121 

10.  8 93 

11.8 63 

13.  9 121 

14.  4-7 82 

MlCAH 

6.1,2 93 

7.  8 137 

7.  19 98,  135 

Nahum 

passim 192 

Zechariah 

2.  8 159 

9.  12 242 


Apocrypha 
Ecclus.  44.  1-14... 


102 


Matthew 

6.19-21 84 

6.  30 137 

7.16 66 

8.  5-10 Ill 

8.  20 224 

8.26 66 

9.  2-6 135 

9.  6 199,  231 

9.  28 66 

11.  4,  5 193 

11.  20-23 193 

11.  28 230,  231 

12.  35 123 

13.51 66 

13.  52 9 

16.13 66 

18.  2-6 150 

18.  3 123 

19.  14 150 

19.  21 230 

20.  6 66 

20.  28 224 

22.20 66 

22.  34-39 47 

22.42 66 


PAGE 

23.23 47 

23.  25-28 84 

23.37 63 

24.  14,  35 210 

24.35 15 

25.  31-46.. 164,  224,  231 

26.  28 135 

27.21-31 69 

28.  19 164 

Mark 

8.  31 224 

8.36 66 

9.  36,  37 150 

10.  13-15 150 

11.30 66 

16.  15 164 

Luke 

1.  78,  79 237 

2.  46 65 

7.  11-17 151 

7.  48 135 

10.  13 193 

10.  26 66 

10.  38-42 151 

13.  15 124 

14.  12-14 83 

22.  20 26 

23.  13-24 113 

24.45 10 

24.  46 164 

24.  46,  47 135,  213 

John 

1.1-5 60 

1.  14 150 

1.  41 Ill 

1.  35-42 184 

2.  1-12 151 

3.2 205 

3.  7 123 

3.  19 124 

5.  36 193 

6.  35 230 

7.17 17 

8.  12 10,  230 

9.  4 162 

10.  25 193 

12.  1-8 151 

13.  13 230 

13.  15 163 

14.  1,  18 140 

14.  6 230 

15.  26 10,  231 

16.13,14 10 

19.  25-27 151 

21.  15.. 151 

Acts 

1.8 164 

2.  38 136 

3.  25 131 

10.  38 163 

13.  32 131 


INDEX  OF  VERSES 


255 


Romans      page 
3.  1,  2 12S 

7.  24 120 

8.  24 242 

8.28 137 

12.  9 163 

12.  11 162 

15.  4 10,  237 

15.  5,  13 158,242 

1  Corinthians 

13.  13 242 

15.  9 Ill 

2  Corinthians 

1.  3,  4 140,  158 

13.  18 242 

Galatians 

3.  8,  16 130 

6.  9,  10 163 

Ephesians 

2.  12 237 

3.  8 Ill 

6.  4 151 

6.11 163 

6.21,22 38 

Philippians 

1.12,13 35 

3.13 236 

4.  6,7 138,200 


PAGE 

4.  S.9 174 

4.11 34 

4.22 35 

Colossi  ans 

1.  14 136 

1.  15-19 218 

3.16 58 

3.  21 151 

4.  7-9 38,40 

4.  14 113 

1  Thessalonians 

5.  8 242 

5.21 17 

2  Thessalonians 

3.  10,  11 162 

1  Timothy 

1.9,  11 116 

4.  13-15 174 

5.  13 162 

2  Timothy 

2.  3 163 

3.  14-17 32,  41 

4.  9 113 

Philemon 

outlined 33-13 

v.  24 113 


Hebrews     paoe 
outlined 29,  30 

1.  1-8 234 

2.  14 98 

3.6-10 94 

4.  12,  13 128 

6.  18,  19 242 

10.  36 162 

11.  32-34 102 

12.  2,  3 218 

13.  6 162 

James 

1.  4 165 

1.5 199 

1.  21-25 142 

5.  20 164 

2  Peter 

1.  4 129 

1.21 59 

1  John 

2.  12-17 168 

4.  8 159 

Revelation 

5.  9 17 

11.  15 112 

20.13 99 

21.1 99 

21.  1-4 249 

22.  3-5 250 


INDEX  OF  VERSES 


PAGE 

A  glory  gilds  the  sacred  pa<?e Cowper  6 

Break  thou   the  bread  of  lite Lathbury  204 

Christ,  the  Palm  of  faithful   victors Damiana  251 

Does  the  Lord  of  glory  speak Bathurst  142 

God,  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son Beddome  22 

Great  God,  mine  eyes  with  pleasure  look Watts  234 

Great  God,   with  wonder  and  with  praise Watts  102 

Holy  Bible,  Book  divine Burton  116 

How  precious  is  the  Book  divine Fawcett  32 

I  love  the  sacred  Book  of  God Kelly  184 

Laden  with  guilt,  and  full  of  fears Watts  218 

Lamp  of  our  feet Barton  168 

Lord,  thy  Word  abideth  Baker  46 

O  great  and  glorious  vision Thring  251 

O  happy  saints Berridge  250 

O  Word  of  God,  incarnate How  74 

The  heavens  declare  thy  glory,  Lord Walts  88 

They  have  come  from  tribulation Wordsworth  250 

This  Book,  this  holy  Book Pollok  58 

Thy  thoughts  are  here,  my  God Bonar  14 

Whence  but  from  heaven Dryden  128 


DATE  DUE 

a&W&ttSSS* 

i 

, 

DEMCO  38-297 

